One More Skeptic
by Teliko. x3
Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.
1. Chapter 1

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: So I'm not 100% sure who posted this on Tumblr, but I did reblog it so I could save the idea for later. I finally got around to writing it... so I hope you all enjoy it! Sorry for any grammar mistakes!**

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'How could I have been this stupid,' she asks herself while she sits in a booth at some local diner by herself. She was _supposed_ to be on a date tonight, but the only other person who was keeping her company was the young waitress who would check in every so often to see if she was ready to order some food. For almost an hour now, she would dismiss the girl and explain that her 'date' would be there any second… that she wanted to wait for him before ordering something to eat. But to no one's surprise, including the couples around her who watched in amusement, he never showed.

She checks her watch one last time and when it reads 8:10 P.M. she decides that it's time to go. For an hour and ten minutes, she sat in a restaurant booth by herself, praying and hoping that this was all just a dream. She had never gotten stood up before. Guys weren't exactly lining up to take her out on dates, but the ones who did have the courage to ask would never intentionally blow it like this. She closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh. 'It's your own fault. You knew it was too good to be true.'

And when she opens her eyes, the young waitress is making another round… slowly getting to her table. To waste this young woman's time is even more embarrassing than getting stood up, so she grabs her purse and begins digging around for her wallet.

A few tables down, he was sitting alone with a cup of coffee in front of him and few leads he had picked up on about some disappearances in the next state over. He had been reading through the reports and claims when he had overheard the couple next to him laughing and pointing to something on the other side of the dinner. He puts down the news articles and reaches for his cup of coffee, trying to silence out the white noise of the dinner to zero in on their conversation.

"Look at her… all pitiful."

"This must be some kind of prank."

"I kind of feel embarrassed for her, you know?"

He places the cup of coffee down, casually looks up… and spots her immediately.

She's a tiny little thing, tucked away in a booth by herself, frantically checking her watch and sipping at a glass of water. He frowns when he hears more snickering from the happy couple besides him. He's been through his fair share of embarrassment, but never anything like this. Her cheeks are growing just as red as her hair under the spotlight lamp that hangs above her table and her blue eyes go to check the time on her watch. He watches her open her eyes and fix them on something that's currently moving besides him. For a second, he thought their eyes would meet, so he looks away so he doesn't draw any attention to himself.

He notices all the black she's wearing, the cut-off jean shorts, and an over-sized green jacket. She may be a bit of a nerd… or a loner, but stunningly beautiful nonetheless. He figures whoever stood her up has made a huge mistake, but she doesn't look like the type to take these things lightly… even less like the type to give second changes for fucking up this royally.

The young waitress passes by his table and is making her way to the redhead's, and he watches through the corner of his eye as the girl in the booth sighs and begins to look through her purse.

'She's leaving,' he thinks.

But he's intrigued. He wants to know more about her. And even though she might not be used to the strangers talking about her so loud and the looks of pity coming from people next to her, he is.

So he throws cash onto his table and gathers his notes, pushing himself up from the booth and heading for the door that leads to the parking lot. He passes her table and looks down at her, seeing that she's having trouble finding enough money to tip the young waitress for waiting on her for over an hour. So he stands in the parking lot for a few seconds, runs a few fingers through his hair, and takes a deep breath.

He steps back into the restaurant and spots her immediately. She's about to scoot out of the booth, but he makes a move and hurries to her. His heart is nearly beating in his throat. It wouldn't take much for her to bring him down into a pit of embarrassment much like she had been in all night by getting up and just leaving him there.

"Babe, I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was horrible," he says over the loud atmosphere of the dinner. Her eyes are wide and she's nearly fallen backwards into the booth as she goes to look up at him. Before she has any time to do anything else, he leans down and presses a sweet kiss to her cheek.

She curses under her breath because she's just managed to drain the embarrassment from earlier. He takes the opportunity with everyone now watching to whisper his plan into her ear.

"My name is Mulder. Just go with it. Whoever stood you up is an idiot."

There's no time for her to think, so she nods her head once and her tongue comes out to lick her lips as he moves away from her, taking a seat across from her at the booth. Normally, she would've just pushed past him and left. But he was unbelievably cute and he was trying to save her from the horrible night she was having. It was better than going home to an empty on-campus apartment, anyway.

His plan so far seemed to be working. The couples who were once laughing and pointing were no longer turned in their seats to watch her date fail miserably. And no one had recognized him as the guy who had just left the restaurant.

She's opening her mouth to thank him and offer up her name, but the young girl is back with a smile on her face.

"Ready to order?"

Scully looks up at this Mulder guy sitting in front of her and then up at the waitress.

"May I have a cheeseburger with fries, please," she asks and the young girl nods and writes.

"That sounds good. Make it two," Mulder says before gathering up the two menus and handing it to their waitress. She leaves with a smile on her face.

"She was going to kick me out if you hadn't showed up." It would be questionable if she had offered up her hand for him to shake, so she doesn't. "My name is Dana, by the way," she lowers her voice so no one around her can hear her introduce herself to her 'date'.

"Do you go to school here," he's asking, pointing out the window and towards the University buildings that are a few miles away from them.

"I do." She straightens up in her seat. "I have an undergraduate in Physics and I'm working on my medical degree now." He looks a bit too old to still be enrolled in school here, but that doesn't mean he's not working on a masters or a doctorate. "What about you?"

"Let's just say that in most of my work… the laws of physics rarely seem to apply." Her head is tilted to the side and her arms have come over her chest, crossed.

She finally notices the papers he has with him and asks about them. She watches the emotions play out on his face as he debates on whether or not to let her in on his little project or not. He's been laughed at and made fun of all of his life for believing in things like this, so he figures adding one more skeptic to the count couldn't hurt.

"Maybe I can get your medical opinion on this, though."

He pulls out the folder, papers and spilling onto the table in front of her. They spend the next few minutes bouncing ideas and explanations off of each other. She's the only girl he's ever met that has taken an interest to all of this so quickly, seeming to want the answers and the truth just as badly as he does.

And when he finally tells her his ultimate theory on how all of these missing teenagers have seemed to disappear, she doesn't laugh and roll her eyes like every other agent he works with at the FBI has. It's then that he realizes that he's found someone special. So when he sees her focused on the chemical compound that he's presented her with, he realizes that this is supposed to be a date… not a meeting.

"Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?" He's lowering his head and whispering, trying his hardest to sound almost… spooky. She's fighting off a smile.

"Logically… I would have to say no." He closes his eyes and nods his head in confirmation that she's just like the rest. "Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of the space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft's capability." He's nodding his head more, as if he's heard this all before.

The rest of the night goes by well. They sit there, challenging one another, laughing when the other gets too invested in their answer. And before they know it, it's time for the dinner to close.

She reaches for her purse, but he holds out his hand and pays for both of their meals with cash. He gathers his papers and notices they are the only ones left in the restaurant besides a few staff members. So he stands from the booth and comes to stand in front of her, offering up his hand to help pull her out of her seat.

They walk out of the restaurant together, their cars parked on opposite sides of the lot. She's fishing for her keys and he's watching her, a small smile forming on his face. Earlier that night, he had intended to do some research here, have a cup of coffee, and head home to an empty apartment. Never would he have thought he would instead spend his time researching with a beautiful, intelligent soon to be medical doctor.

"Thank you," she finally says. "For… everything," she's gone shy once more, not having the confidence to look him in the eyes like she had earlier that night when she was arguing her point about science being his key to the truth.

And for some reason, he can't bear the thought of never seeing her again… he's saved her from maybe one of her most embarrassing nights and had put on a show for the people around them so they wouldn't feel sorry for her. But he realizes that he wants another date… a real one.

"Go out with me," he says, his hands in his pockets.

"What," she sounds surprised, definitely not expecting his question.

"Let me take you out on a real date," he explains. "I'll even pick you up so you know I won't ditch you." She smiles at his effort. He had been fun company. There was very little small talk, which she had always dreaded on dates. He went straight into the deep conversations she craved for. Intellectual thinking that stimulated her very 'Scully' like responses. "What do you say?" He holds out both arms, presenting himself to her and she smiles, then nods.

"Sure. Okay."

They plan it for tomorrow night and after she gives him directions to where her apartment is located, they finally shake hands and make off to go their separate ways. But after a few steps, he turns around and calls out to her.

"Dana... I never got your last name."

She's unlocking her car when she hears him yell from the other side of the parking lot.

"Scully," she yells back to him before getting into her car.

He smiles.

"Mulder and Scully... not too bad," he says aloud, shrugging before getting into his own car and make sure she leaves first before heading home.

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 **A/N: So... there it is. I'm not sure if I should continue or not... I don't even know where to begin. Review and let me know what you think! Sorry for grammar miskaes!**


	2. Chapter 2

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I was surprised how many people actually liked it! I'm sorry for the long update. I hadn't even planned on making this a multi-chapter story, but I guess you guys convinced me to do it. Haha. Sorry for any grammar mistakes and let me know how it is! Review if you'd like me to continue!  
**

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She had spent the majority of her Saturday morning looking over her notes for Psychiatric Medicine course. She had an exam Monday and even though she had her date tonight with the guy from the diner, Mulder, she couldn't quite force herself to study any more. She still had about five hours until he would come to pick her up. She looks around her tiny apartment. Everything had been cleaned and organized, except for her kitchen table which housed stacks of notes, flashcards, books, and highlighters.

She had always kept her apartment a bit on the tidy side. She rarely had guests over, but it was more of a comfort measure for her. She didn't do study groups and she never could imagine herself with a roommate.

Pushing herself up from the kitchen table, she heads into her bedroom where she changes into a pair of running shorts and one of Bill's old high school football shirts. It's a beautiful day for a run and when she leaves her apartment, the corners of her mouth lift when the sun hits her face.

Carefully looking both ways before crossing the street, she picks up speed when she comes around the corner and onto the sidewalk. There's a park equipped with a three mile track that encircles the entire facility with tennis courts, basketball courts, and a pond all inside. The gravel crunches underneath her feet as she runs against the track, falling into her usual pace. Her older brother had taught her how to concentrate on her breathing while running for long distances, but none of that was happening.

The only thing she could think about was seeing Mulder again in a few hours. Even with the constant reminder that the weekend was coming to an end and her exam was only a few short hours away, she couldn't quite get herself to focus on anything except him. Last night, after she had drove home in complete shock and awe in what had just happened, she had sat in her car for a good ten minutes or so, replaying everything out in her head again.

He was unlike any other guy she had met; very thoughtful and sweet, handsome and intelligent, and a true gentleman, at that. He had made her forget all about the embarrassment she had endured for a good portion of the night and she found herself craving more of the intellectual conversations he could potentially share with her.

Deeper into the park, Mulder stood in the middle of the basketball court, dribbling the ball and defending himself against a few of his buddies from class. He spins meticulously while maintaining contact with the ball and puts his defender on the ground. When he's open, Mulder fades back and takes a shot, draining a three-pointer with ease. The other two guys on the court hunch over their knees in laughter as Mulder jogs over to where his friend is sitting on the ground, and offers to help him up.

"You didn't have to break my ankles like that, man," his friend, Ben, answers.

"Someone's gotta do it," Mulder jokes and passes the ball to another friend, Derrek.

"Hey, man. You got any plans tonight," Derrek asks. Mulder's hand comes up to scratch the back of his head quickly. The sweat is dripping down his neck and he squints his eyes against the bright sun. "Stevie and I are going downtown. Everyone else already had plans, but I wanted to make sure I invited you," he explains.

"I would, but I've got a date tonight," he finally answers. All of his friends stop what they're doing and look back at Mulder. They all know just how long it's been since the falling out with Diana. Truthfully, neither one of them had thought their friend would get back into the dating world any time soon.

"Come on, man," Ben says, shaking his head in doubt.

"Seriously!"

"Alright." Silence. "With who?"

Mulder opens his mouth to answer and give them a full detail of just how amazing and beautiful his date is, but she's running past him on the red gravel track that's just a few feet away from where they're standing. He smiles, then points to the small redhead that's jogging towards them, fixing to take a turn on the track.

And before they know it, he's running off to catch up with her, leaving his friends all in pure shock. One of them calls out to Mulder, teasing him to "leave the poor girl alone", but when Mulder calls out her name and she stops dead on the track, faces him, and smiles, the rest of his friends all look at each other in amazement.

"No way," one of them mutters under their breath.

She panting by the time he catches up with her, still trying to come down from her runner's high. He glances at her up and down and she does the same, taking note of his basketball attire.

"Fancy seeing you here," she teases.

"I mean, if you wanted to spend the entire day with me, you should've just asked last night." She laughs and makes a move to playfully push him. Her hand comes into contact with his broad, muscular chest that's hidden under a New York Knicks t-shirt and she almost gasps at how hard his muscles are.

"I was just killing some time," she explains, slowing her movements so she doesn't catch a cramp from her sudden abruption in running. She takes the comfortable silence between them to glance behind him and take note of the three other guys standing on the basketball court, all with ridiculous expressions on their face. He takes a moment to follow her gaze and he laughs when he see's his friends all but gawking at Scully. "I take it they're here with you?"

"Yeah. Just ignore them. They haven't seen a pretty girl in years." His words cause a blush to creep up on her cheeks. She hardly considered herself pretty, especially now with a messy ponytail and oversized running clothes. "I told them we have a date tonight, but they're probably thinking I just ran up to some random girl running on the track and that I'm begging her to just smile and nod at everything I say."

"Well think of this as me returning the favor for last night," she says suddenly and it grabs his attention. She's grabbing a hold of his hands while switching positions with him, her back now facing his friends. The three guys have a clear view of Mulder's face when Scully leans up on her toes and pulls him down to give him a sweet kiss on his cheek. It's his turn to grow red in the face and before he knows it, she's leaving him just as perplexed as he had left her last night in the diner booth. "I'll see you tonight! Don't be late," she teases as she runs off.

Later that night, she's standing in front of the full length mirror that's hanging up behind her bedroom door. She wasn't exactly sure what to wear, but it hadn't taken her long to figure out that casual attire would be fine. She'd know what kind of date it'd be when he showed up, and she figured she could just invite him in and excuse herself to change outfits.

She doesn't have time to second-guess herself, because there's a knock coming from her living room. When she glances at the clock hanging from her wall, she smiles. Right on time. Their date hadn't even officially started and it was already off to a good start.

She slips on her Converse and heads for the door, then opens it to reveal Mulder standing there with an undeniable grin on his face. She glances back at the clock that's in the living room and narrows her eyes.

"How long have you been standing there," she asks, walking past him and locking up her apartment.

"I'm on time, aren't I?"

"How long," she asks again.

"About twenty minutes."

"I never said you couldn't be early!"

"You said 'on time'. I kept my promise."

—

He opens the passenger side door for her and waits until she's buckled in before he shuts the door. He walks around the front of the car and she takes the time to look around his car. It wasn't fancy or expensive, but it was nice enough for a college student.

"So where are you taking me," she asks as he gets in the driver's seat and starts the engine.

"Well… I debated on another date at the diner, but I figured you'd probably never want to go back there again." She smiles at his words… and at the fact that he's hit the nail on the head. "So I came up with something else that I think you'll like, but it's a surprise."

"What if I told you I don't care for surprises?"

"You'll care for this one," he remarks confidently and she's smiling for the countless time. Their chemistry is one she's never felt before and she realizes how dangerous it is. They get along quite well, even despite a few varying ideals on 'science'. She finds herself not paying much attention to the road in front of them, but instead on the guy besides her. She could only hope this would be something that worked out in the long run, because despite only knowing him for less than 24 hours, she really liked it.

By the time the sun is just setting off in the distance, she realizes that they've been driving for quite some time. They've driven away from the city and out to what looks like the middle of no where.

"Mulder?"

He doesn't take his eyes off of the road, but leans a bit closer to her to let her know that he's listening.

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

"That would ruin the surprise, Scully." His eyes finally move away from the road and meet her blue ones. "You trust me?"

The smile that he's come to love so much appears.

"Logically, I would say 'no'. You're essentially a stranger."

"I smell a big 'but' coming." Despite the seriousness of the issue, she finds his joke funny and cracks a bigger smile.

"But," she begins, giving him the pleasure of being correct. "I do." It's two simple words that have his heart beating in overdrive.

Driving a few more miles, he comes to spot the familiar wire fence that's been weathered and nearly torn down. He slows his car and takes a turn down the gravel entrance, following a path that goes deeper and deeper into an abandoned looking field.

When he's satisfied with the spot, he turns of the car and turns to face Scully. He nearly laughs at her expression as she cautiously examines the area. It's dark and the tall grass the surrounds the car gives her the impression that some wild animal could come running and attack the car at any moment, but he's out of the car by the time her gaze comes back around to the driver's seat.

He pops the trunk and grabs a heavy looking blanket that's got different tribal prints sewn into the material. She watches as he walks around to the front of the car and spreads the blanket out on the hood and windshield.

She realizes what's going on and smiles, then slowly gets out of the car and looks up into the night sky.

"You were right," she says softly, causing him to stop adjusting the fleece blanket. "I like this," she points to his idea and it earns her a glimpse of his handsome smile in the moonlight.

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 **A/N: So I planned on writing one more chapter to describe the actual date, but I don't know what I could write about after. Someone give me some ideas! Review and let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: MORE REVIEWS. oh my goodness, you guys are the best. I updated this as soon as I could for you guys! Hope it's okay! Sorry for any grammar mistakes. I get excited when I write MSR fics. Hope you all like this chapter! Review and let me know!  
**

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She see's why he's driven out so far just for them to see the stars… and she's absolutely thankful. The black sky goes uninterrupted by any type of city light and she's able to see every single star in all it's clarity. He had pulled himself up onto the hood of his car and held out his hand for her, pulling her up just as effortlessly.

"You planned all of this," she asks, unable to believe he'd go through all this trouble just for her… some girl he had met in a diner only last night.

"I wouldn't really say 'plan'; more of 'hoped for the best'," he answers honestly. Truth was, he had no idea if she would like his idea or not, if driving out to a completely empty field to watch the stars in the night sky would completely freak her out or win her over.

So when he notices the bright stars have already captivated her eyes, he leans back against the windshield with his arms folded behind his head. She's dangerously close to him, but almost because she had no other choice… and from what he gathered, she wasn't too worried about the lack of space.

He can't seem to tear his eyes away from her so he too can look up into the dark sky, and he rationalizes that he's done this by himself many times over to spare him just tonight. He wonders if her blue eyes had always been that wide or if she's just amazed by what lies millions of miles away from her.

He never would have considered himself a romantic, or claimed to be a ladies man, but he did have a special place in his heart for nights like this after a stressful day of being given the runaround by numerous different sources during his search for his sister. His eyes are still on Scully and he realizes that she's the only other person who he has trusted to show this spot to… and he hasn't even known her for a full 24 hours.

His sister would have liked her.

It's a painful thought, but he still doesn't tear his eyes away from her beautiful face. He'd like to think Samantha would smack him upside the head if he messed this date up.

He wonders if she, herself, has some kind of troubling past that has made her the ever so skeptical person she is.

Before he knows it, she's moving even closer to him and he's sure she must not care much about personal space. She finally lays beside him and holds her hands in her lap.

"Do you know much about the constellations?"

If it were possible to fall in love so quickly, Fox Mulder was almost sure it just happened.

"Yeah," he whispers. He spots one of his favorite constellations and tries to point to it where she'll recognize the pattern of stars. "That one."

Her head is nearly resting on his shoulder as she peeks over his hand to see which constellation he's point at. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth for only a second as she concentrates, and when she inhales, she can make out the scent of his cologne.

"Vulpecula cum Ansere." He opens his mouth to continue, but she cuts him off with her soft voice, which is dangerously close to his ear.

"The fox and the goose." He smiles to himself. 'She still doesn't know my first name,' he reminds himself. "I know that one." He swears he feels his heart skip a beat. "Foxes are deceptive little creatures. They never run a direct course, but a winding path." 'Story of my life,' he thinks.

He's pointing to another constellation, but she's having trouble picking it out from the rest of the stars. He looks back at her and takes note of the frustration on her face when she can't follow his direction.

"Look," he says softly, reaching over for her hand. The stars forgotten, her eyes fall from the sky and to their joined hands. He gently covers her's with his and brings them up, pointing with her until she's seeing the next constellation. When she finally recognizes it, she speaks.

"Cassiopeia."

"The Queen," he adds in. The pattern makes almost a flat 'W' shape, but the images from textbooks have left an imprint of a woman sitting in a throne in his brain. "The star in the middle? If you add all of it's energy, not just what's visible to the eye, it shines about 40,000 times brighter than the sun," he says. "She's home to one of the largest collections of young stars in the galaxy." When he realizes he's still holding onto her hand, he slowly lets go and she lets her hand come back down to rest close to his leg.

After an hour or so of laying next to each other, pointing out different constellations and going over their history, they get onto the more personal topics. She's explained almost every detail of her life from sharing her birthday to how she moved around a lot as a child due to her father being in the Navy to growing up with two brothers and another sister. She had explained her decision to go into medical school, and although she seemed to like it well enough, when he questioned her further about it… the truth came out.

It was a relief, a breath of fresh air to have someone be just as bent out of shape and lost as he was.

By the time she was done, he knew her favorite color, how she had cried her eyes out upon shooting and killing a helpless snake, about when she and her younger brother had stayed up all night one Christmas Eve to catch Santa in the act but they had both fallen asleep before midnight, how her sister had pushed her into the deep end of the swimming pool when she was still learning how to swim, how she'd crouch and hide in the hallway whenever her parents fought in the kitchen about her father being gone for so long, how her grandmother had grown to be her best friend, and that when she had passed away, how it pushed her to go to medical school.

And when it came time for him to share bits and pieces about his own personal life, he had left no single detail out… except for Samantha. He was sure her mind was going into information overload with everything he shared from his childhood to his falling out with his ex-girlfriend Diana. But not Samantha.

Not yet.

She helped him pack up the blankets whenever they had agreed to head back into the city. Her stomach had began growling before he could start the car's engine and he turns to her, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Scully. You should've said something."

"Mulder, I'm fine," she reassures him. "We can stop and get something on the way back into the city."

"Anything in particular you're hungry for? You name it, I'll get it for you."

She knows it doesn't really matter where he takes her to eat. It's already been the best date she's ever been on, so the matter of where to eat held no special pressure. They could grab a box of pizza and eat it by the pond in the park and she'd be the happiest girl for miles.

"Take-out and back to my place?"

He's almost positive he heard her wrong, but she's justifying her decision before he can argue with himself.

"That was a special place you showed me tonight," her voice seems to echo in the car. "I can at least return the favor."

—

They agree on Chinese, but by the time they make it into the city, storm clouds have passed over the night sky. He parks the car on the side of the road as the rain drops start falling against the windshield. He confirms her order of sweet and sour chicken with a side of rice before running out into the now pouring rain to get their food.

She watches in adoration as he leaves the safety of the car and gets soaked as he runs into the take-out restaurant. There's quite some time before he comes back, but she's content to sit in the car and wait for him. When he does emerge, it's with a brown paper bag filled with food.

She giggles to herself as he nearly slips on the wet sidewalk while running to the car, trying to beat the rain.

"You didn't have to go through all of that trouble, Mulder."

"The lady wanted Chinese, the lady gets Chinese."

She accepts the bag and holds it in her lap as he starts the engine and pulls back onto the main road. It only takes a few minutes until he's pulling up into her apartment complex. He looks in the backseat for his umbrella, but sighs when he realizes he's left it in his living room.

"Mulder, it's fine. It's just rain."

He sits back for a moment, thinking, and then grabs his keys.

"Wait here."

The rain shows no signs of letting up any time soon, but it doesn't keep him from getting out of the car, running to the trunk, grabbing the blanket they had packed up together, and running around to her side of the car. He opens the door for her and covers the space between the open door and the roof of the car with the blanket.

"Come on," he encourages her to get under the blanket he's holding up, and she does quickly, clinging onto him while tucking the bag of food under her arm. She steps directly in a puddle when he shuts the door closed for her and she curses loudly in his ear.

They run together for her apartment and climb up the stairs, finding shelter from the rain under her covered patio. He tosses the now soaking blanket over the balcony to dry and looks back at Scully, watching him with a grin on her face.

The whole night had been nothing but a series of sweet and thoughtful gestures by Mulder, and she was loving every moment of it.

"We'll just leave this here," he nods to the blanket.

She moves to unlock her apartment, but before she lets him him, blocks the door with her body.

"You're not going to try to seduce me in there, are you," it's a tease and he knows it by the way her eyes sparkle from the outdoor light above her door and the way she's leaning closer to him instead of the door.

"We're gonna leave that up to my fortune cookie."

She rolls her eyes and pushes the door open, leading the way into her apartment. He follows behind her hesitantly, both of them kicking their soaking wet shoes off at her door. He notices just how tiny her feet are and smiles as she pads into the kitchen with their food.

"I'm sorry about the mess," she comments, but he looks around her virtually mess-free apartment and scoffs to himself. Aside from the kitchen table still covered in her notes, the place is spotless… and cozy. She places the bag of food down on her counter while she scoops up her books and notes, hauling them off into her bedroom while calling out to Mulder to make himself comfortable.

He's drawn to the living room where she's got numerous framed pictures hanging on her wall, illuminated by a small desktop lamp. There's one presumably with her entire family and he marvels at how much the two Scully girls resemble their mother. The next is one from what looks like her high school graduation and he finds himself smiling back at the picture.

"Like what you see," she's saying as she rounds the corner, opening up the bag of food and setting the table for them. She grabs too glasses, fills them with water, and two forks from her utensil set by the sink. He meets her in the kitchen and accepts his food with a thankful nod, and sits across the table from her.

"I didn't mean to-"

"You're fine," she winks at him to let him know it's okay and digs into her own plate of food. He follows her cue and begins eating, nodding his approval with the first bite.

"Good choice," he comments and she smiles. The rain outside hasn't let up and she wonders if it ever will. She knows it'll be an excuse to keep him here a little longer. She's never been fond of being by herself in her apartment when it storms like this, anyway.

They finish their dinner and she thanks him sincerely for running out into the rain to get it for them. He helps her clean up the kitchen and they retire into the living room, where she lounges back on her small couch. He takes a seat on the floor with his head next to hers. There's not much light that illuminates the room except for the occasional lightning strike that fills the room with the shadows.

"When I was younger and it would storm like this, I'd crawl into Melissa's bed and hope she wouldn't kick me out."

"Who would ever kick you out of their bed," the question is out of his mouth before he's got a chance to process what he's saying, but she only chuckles to herself.

"You've never met my sister."

—

It's nearly midnight by the time the rain lets up. It doesn't feel as late as it really is, but he doesn't want to overstay his welcome, so he pushes himself up from the floor and holds out his hand to pull her off from the couch.

Her tiny bare feet brush against his as she nearly falls against him, her left leg essentially numb from laying on it for hours while she talked with him. He catches her and steadies her with his hands on her hips. Her eyes dart down to where he's holding her and he lets go almost instantly, throwing his hands up on either side of his face so she can see he's not trying to pull anything over on her.

"I'd say this was a successful second 'first date'. Wouldn't you?"

She's walking him to the door and he reaches down to grab his shoes. She's got her hands on her lower back as she stretches in front of him, her shirt lifting a little and giving him a glimpse of her bare stomach. He stands straight when his shoes are on and he stands in front of her door.

"It was definitely one I'll remember." She's leaning up on her toes, but it still isn't enough to reach him, so he leans down and she presses a gentle kiss to the corner of his lips. "Thank you." Her lips brush against his again as she whispers the words, but when she doesn't move away from him, he takes the chance and moves in for another kiss.

This time, it's fully on her lips and she's frozen in her spot for a while. His lips are warm and soft, almost begging for her to kiss him back. When she finally does, her lips part and his tongue comes out to sweep across her bottom lip. He's been wanting to do this for the majority of the night and now that he's gotten the chance, he's addicted.

But they pull away from each other and with swollen lips, she smiles shyly.

"I ugh…," she tries to talk, but her brain is incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

He nods in agreement, his mind also drawing a blank.

"Right," he says, reaching for the door. Her fingers come up to touch her lips and before she closes the door, she smiles at him one last time.

* * *

 **A/N: REVIEW AND LOVE ME! :) (Sorry for any grammar mistakes, yall. I always reread this and cringe when iIsee something is wrong!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET I LOVE YOU ALL OH MY GOD. So... Before you guys read this chapter, I know there are a few things that are a bit out of place. Like... Mulder needed to go through the Academy and work in the behavioral unit for a good four or so years before getting assigned to the X-Files and then Scully's situation... bleh. LETS JUST PRETEND FOR THE SAKE OF MY STORY :) Thanks for ALL the reviews. You guys keep me motivated AF! Sorry for any grammar mistakes!  
**

* * *

He sits at his desk, alone in the basement, with the scrap of paper he found in his car after leaving Scully's apartment. There was a ten digit number scratched elegantly onto the torn piece of paper and he stared at it with hope.

He didn't call her yesterday in fear he'd disturb her from studying from the exam she had said she had today. He looked down at his watch, realizing it was almost lunch time… and that maybe she'd be out of class by now. But he dismisses the idea to show up at his old college campus and tucks the piece of paper back into his jacket pocket.

The rest of his day goes by oddly fast enough. He found himself often still organizing and refiling certain aspects of cases that Diana had left unfinished. Months after her leaving, and he was still picking up the pieces. But for the first time in those months, he didn't dwell on the fact that Diana had left him and their work unexplained. For once, he didn't feel the need to search for all the answers.

He gets back to his apartment around the same time as he usually does and lets his car keys fall onto the kitchen table. He shrugs off his coat and hangs it up. The phone that sits on his desk in the living room catches his eye.

There had never been an instance where he found himself wanting to call any particular female back, given how many of their numbers he had acquired over the years. He'd always just throw them away or completely forget about them. But his thumb passes over Scully's number and before he knows it, he's picking up the phone and dialing her number.

It takes a few rings and he nearly hangs up the phone, but she finally answers it and her out of breath greeting puts a smile on his face.

"Hello?"

"Scully?" He can hear a bit of rustling through the line.

"I was wondering when you'd find my little note."

"The second I got back into my car Saturday night." There's more rustling and he suddenly feels bad, thinking he's called at a bad time. "Hey, if you're busy, I can let you go. I just-"

"No, no. I'm sorry. I ugh… I just got back from campus."

"How did your exam go?"

"It was… alright."

"You don't seem to confident."

"No, I mean… I passed. I'm sure of it."

He glances at the clock that's hanging up on his living room wall. It's almost six o'clock. There's an overwhelming feeling that passes over him now that he's had a change to hear her voice. There's a sudden urge to see her, but he's apprehensive about asking her out again.

"Hey… I wanted to ask. Do you have class tomorrow?"

On the other end of the line, she's twirling the cord that's connected to the headset of her phone. She glances back at her backpack that's propped up against her living room wall.

"No. I only have class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," she explains. Truth was, she probably had a lot of homework to catch up and finish, but she was hoping he'd ask to do something with her this week. She had spent the majority of the night with him only two days ago, but she was experiencing a yearning need to be near him.

As if it hadn't been lousy enough that she had thought about him all day Sunday and today, to top it off.

But she waits patiently, anticipating his next question.

"Let's celebrate you passing your exam." She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Her heart is screaming 'yes' and her brain is screaming 'homework'.

"I don't know, Mulder…"

"I'll have you home before midnight."

"I've got a lot of homework I need to start on," she argues… feebly.

"Scully." All it takes is him saying her name into the phone and her homework is long forgotten.

"Alright," she gives in and on the other end of the call, Mulder's grinning like a lovestruck puppy.

"Give me thirty minutes. I'll come pick you up."

"I'll see you then." And they both hang up. She huffs a piece of her hair out from her eyes and walks into her bedroom, throwing open her closet doors and looking for something to wear.

She settles on a pair of skinny jeans, an oversized band t-shirt, a long sleeve flannel that she leaves unbuttoned and tops it off with her trusty pair of black Converse. And after reapplying her makeup from this morning, there's a knock at the door.

She passes her mirror in the bedroom which occupies the space next to her twelve month calendar. There's a date circled in red permanent marker that catches her attention and she remembers she has a job interview with the FBI tomorrow for a Forensics Instructor position. The FBI had approached her even without a completed Medical degree, but she had intentions to graduate.

'These outfits won't do anymore,' she realizes when the job interview comes up. She makes a mental note to call her sister in the morning to borrow some of her clothes… and then to go shopping for a new wardrobe.

But when she opens the door to reveal Mulder, her anxiety about the job interview and homework melt away. She's replaying their kiss from two nights ago and she blushes instantly, standing in the same spot where he had pressed his lips to hers. 'He's doing it too,' she tells herself.

She's fighting against her mirroring smile, but the corners of her lips give way when he holds up his car keys and jingles them in her face, signifying he's ready to leave.

"You're starting to become a bad influence," she warns as she steps through her door, locks it up, and takes the lead down the stairwell.

"I think you'll manage one night away from your homework," he suggests as they climb into his car.

He drives them not far from her apartment, but he's in the middle of the city, and when he stops at a local bar that houses the college kids. It's only Monday and there's still a decent sized crowd there. He takes the lead now, showing her through the groups of people and finds a cozy spot at the bar where he lets her sit and then comes to stand protectively behind her.

He raises a hand and the bartender zeros in on them, asking them what they're drinking for the night. Mulder orders himself a Shinerbock and Scully seconds it.

"Beer drinker, huh? I knew I liked you," he says from behind her, his voice tickling the hairs by her ear. She fights the shiver that threatens to course down her spine and straightens up when the man behind the bar returns with their two beers. Mulder reaches around Scully, handing him a five dollar bill and tells him to keep the change.

She grabs her bottle and turns in the bar stool where she can face Mulder. He's dangerously close, but there's almost no other place for him to stand without bumping into one of the other bar goers… and she doesn't mind.

He holds up his own bottle and she brings hers up so their necks clash together, and they each take a sip. She closes her eyes when the cold beer washes down her throat, the near freezing alcohol soothing her worries and bringing a rush of blood to her cheeks.

"So besides catching up on your homework tomorrow, what else is the elusive Dana Scully up to?"

"Job interview, actually," she proudly announces. "The FBI seems to have a special interest in yours truly." She raises her eyebrows for a dramatic effect before taking another long sip of her beer.

"The FBI, huh," he asks facetiously. She's turned her back to him to reach for some napkins to wrap around her cold beer bottle, and when she moves back, her eyes come to rest on his FBI badge that he's displaying.

"Fox? Your name is Fox," she asks amusingly.

"That's the first thing you notice?" He looks at his badge. "Really? The FBI part didn't throw you for a loop first?" She suppresses a giggle as he sighs and folds his badge back up. "What position?"

"Forensics Instructor. I've got to go through the Academy first, though." She's trying to hide the fact that she's thrilled he works at the FBI. 'Such a small world,' she thinks to herself. "Will you be at work tomorrow?" He nods his head and sips at his beer. "Good. You can show me around the place."

It's an entertaining idea at first, but the fact he works in the basement makes him hesitant. He had just recently been assigned to the X-Files and to no one's surprise, he absolutely loved it. He had made it his life's work and the search for his sister had been a little easier on him with the resources and contacts he found in the hidden away files tucked in the basement.

But she had painfully made it clear her stance on things of that nature. 'She'll understand if I show her why,' he thinks.

—

The night progresses quickly and after a few more beers, he decides to call it a night and bring her home. She's not drunk, but definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol. He laughs to himself as she begins hiccuping as she climbs the steps to her apartment.

"You gonna wake up on time," he's asking as she unlocks her door. She throws him a well-knowing look over her shoulder and pushes the door open, keeping it that way for him to follow her in.

She doesn't say a word, but instead, goes to her backpack and pulls out a folder full of papers and handwritten notes. She stumbles back to where he stands in her living room and stops just short of bumping into him. He smiles down at her, but she hits his chest with her folder.

"Read these to me," and she's off, heading down her hallway and peeling off her flannel over-shirt.

"Ugh…" He peeks into the folder and see's her psychiatric medicine notes. He recognizes some of the words, but the medicine part is in a completely different language. He's stuck to his spot in the living room and he's unsure if he should follow her into her bedroom or stay where he stands.

"I can't hear you," she calls out from her bathroom. He takes a few uneasy steps down her hallway and begins reciting her notes. From inside her bathroom, as she changes into something more comfortable, she can hear his voice grow louder and clearer with every step he takes. She smiles when he mispronounces 'Amitriptyline'.

She emerges from her bathroom in a pair of her old volleyball shorts and a t-shirt, nearly colliding with him as his eyes are glued to her beautifully hand written notes.

She pulls the folder from his hands and tosses it onto the bed. He watches as the folder bounces on her mattress and turns back to her with a questioning look.

"You get me drunk and then you read my notes back to me?" He narrows his eyes.

"You're drunk?"

"Irrelevant." He smirks. "No."

"What's your point?"

"You're a _gentleman_."

"When you put it that way…" She rolls her eyes at his flirtatious grin. "What time is your interview tomorrow?"

"Nine o'clock."

"Tell you what…" He's reaching down for her alarm clock and sets it for her. "Go to the information desk after your interview and ask for me." She nods in agreement, walking past him to show him out for the night.

He walks through the door and turns to find her leaning against it, her head supported by the wood.

"Good luck tomorrow."

"Thank you." He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to her cheek and she closes her eyes at his touch. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm counting on it."

* * *

 **A/N: So there it is! Fourth chapter. I think I may have a few more up my sleeve. I still have to update my other college AU fic, but this one was for you guys. REVIEW AND LOVE ME! (Sorry for any grammar mistakes... again).**


	5. Chapter 5

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter five. Maybe two or three chapters left! Wish me luck tomorrow morning, guys! I've got a nursing exam in the AM! :)  
**

* * *

She walks into the federal building, eyes wide and heart stammering. It takes her a moment to scout out the information desk that Mulder had been talking about last night. The sweet older lady sitting behind the counter calls up the Forensics department to let them know she's here, and soon, she's being directed to the main elevators after she's handed a 'VISTOR' pass.

She's seated in front of the office where her interview will be in a few short minutes. She glances down at the business skirt and jacket Melissa had let her borrow that morning and frowns. In the hospital for clinicals, she had been accustomed to wearing nothing but scrubs and a white lab coat with her name sewn into the left pocket.

Before she knows it, an older man is standing in the hallway and calling her back into a rather large office. Her resume sits on his desk in front of him and she's almost sure he can see her heart beating through the tan blouse that's hidden under the plaid jacket she's got on. There are more men sitting around the desk, who also seem to be apart of this interview, but they don't say a word.

The interview itself takes an hour or so; consisting of the intimidating man behind the desk asking her question after question regarding her skill set and educational background. It's over just as quickly as it began and when the man stands up, Scully follows his lead and shakes his hand.

"We'll give you a call sometime in the next week or so. It was very nice to meet you, Dana."

And it's over.

Trying not to think too much into it, she heads back down to the information desk where Mulder had instructed and asks the receptionist to see Fox Mulder, but before she can grab the phone, he's calling her name from across the lobby.

"Scully!" She turns her head away from the receptionist and when she see's Mulder standing only a few feet away from her, in his suit and tie, her heart has no time to rest from pounding in the interview to pounding because he looks so handsome.

"Nevermind," she tells the receptionist and pushes herself away from the desk. Her heels click against the marble floor as she takes more and more steps closer to him. He's giving her the up and down treatment, taking in her new style with a small smirk on his face. "Don't you dare," she warns, following his gaze and grimaces at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

"You look…" She's watching him intensely, causing him to trail off and choose his next word carefully. "-professional."

—

He sweeps her away to a forgotten, abandoned hallway that leads to an old elevator. He presses the button for the basement and her eyebrow goes up in suspicion, but she remains silent.

"How was the interview," he finally asks. The doors to the elevator open slowly and he allows her to step in first.

"It was fine, aside from the fact that I probably made a complete fool of myself."

"Come on. It couldn't have been that bad."

"In any case… we'll see next week," she says in a defeated tone. He senses her disappointment and decides it's his place to cheer her up.

So he pushes himself away from the wall of the elevator and comes to stand dangerously close to her. She stands her ground and even challenges him by tilting her head back slightly to look up at him. The tension is electric and she can feel her stomach flip as if this were her first encounter with someone of the opposite sex.

She can smell the cologne he's splashed onto his face earlier that morning and her hands are itching to bunch the material of his white oxford shirt to pull him even closer to her.

"Would it help if I put in a good word for you," he asks, a well knowing smirk playing out on his face, as he knows exactly what kind of effect being so close to her is having.

"Dare we found out?" He's smiling now and his hand comes up to cup the side of her head, his thumb gently passing back and forth over her cheek. She's mirroring his expression by the time his hand slides across her jaw and his fingers gently pushing through her soft hair. She wastes no time grabbing at his waist, both hands grabbing a generous amount of material to keep him planted in front of her body.

His lips descend down onto hers and it's like a breath of fresh air. The anxiety and worry that stemmed from the interview melted away with every second his lips stayed against hers. It's illogical, irrational, and none of it makes sense. She had never been more attracted to someone in all of her life and as she stands in an FBI elevator kissing him, she doesn't seem to care if it doesn't fit with what she's told herself is her 'norm'.

The elevator suddenly stops and the doors slowly slide open. Mulder's back is facing the doors, shielding Scully's body away from the seemingly empty hallway.

But they don't move.

She's frozen in her spot and makes no attempt to push past him, with his lips still moving slowly overs hers. Her hands release the material of his white shirt and come to rest on his arms.

"I say we get you out of this horrendous business suit."

"I say you at least take me out on another date first," she retaliates as she reluctantly moves away from him. He follows her lead and turns to show her down the hallway and into his basement office, but they both stop short when they see Diana. She's got a weary look etched on her face and Scully presses her lips together in an effort to hide how swollen and red they are from Mulder's kisses.

"Fox," the woman, who's name Scully didn't know, says with hints of a smile forming, even though she has just caught him in a compromising position. The brunette's hollow eyes flutter from Mulder's to Scully's… and it nearly sends chills down her back. "I see you haven't wasted any time moving on."

Mulder's eyes follow Diana's until they rest on Scully. He's slightly embarrassed she's apart of this conflict, so he holds up a finger to Diana; a notion to give them a moment of privacy. He turns to Scully, his hands coming up to rest on her shoulders.

"My office is down the hallway. First door to the left. Wait for me in there." There's a part of her that wants to argue, that wants to stay right where she's at to listen in on their conversation, but she simply nods politely and makes a move to swiftly walk past Diana, ducking her head in an attempt not to bring more attention to herself.

"What are you doing here, Diana," he asks when Scully's finally out of sight, but she's not paying attention to him anymore. She's watching the redhead walk down the hallway and push the door open into the office that was once half hers.

"I'm back," she says plainly. He thinks she must be joking… must be out of her mind.

"No," he says. "You can't just pack everything and leave, come back months later, then expect to pick up right where we left off." She ignores his protest and points to the office Scully has just wandered in to.

"Is she some Academy trainee? Did you recruit her from the University?" He shakes his head. "You need _me_ , Fox." There's no use arguing with her, so he simply shakes his head again and follows the path down the dimly lit hallway, leaving Diana by the elevators.

When he enters his office, he stops in the doorway and slowly leans against the wooden frame. He crosses his arms over his chest and watches silently from where he stands as she slowly walks around his office, taking note of every single photograph and newspaper clipping, the 'I Want To Believe' poster tacked up behind his desk, the name plaque that reads 'Fox Mulder', and the large filing cabinet that houses thousands and thousands of X-Files.

His heart skips a beat and seems to fall into the pit of his stomach when she rounds his desk and her eyes fall onto the framed picture of him and Samantha. He can see her formulating ideas and he's not sure if he should cut her short of coming to her own conclusion.

The doorframe cracks and his curses it. She nearly drops the picture when she see's him staring at her from the doorway. She's apologizing for snooping around, but smiles and expresses what a nice little hide away he's got down here. He doesn't mind her looking around his office one bit, so he waves it off and closes the door behind him. She's moving to get out from behind his desk, but he takes a seat opposite from her and allows her to sit in his desk chair.

"That picture was taken a year before she disappeared." The announcement hits her like a ton of bricks and she suddenly doesn't think of the photograph as a reassuring reminder.

"Is this your sister?" He nods his head.

"Samantha," he confirms with her name. Scully glances back down at the photograph and notices the undeniable resemblance.

—

He spends the majority of his lunch break explaining what happened with his sister. They had remained in his office. She's pulled the office chair to the other side of his desk to be closer to him as he talks, and they both share a sandwich and a bag of chips he's gotten from the cafeteria upstairs.

She's engrossed in his story, offering up her most sincere apologies when he concludes the story and reveals that he still hasn't been reunited with his sister. Her heart hurts for him. But before she knows it, he's apologizing for such a dreary story, that it was his intention to take her mind off of her interview. But she assures him he has and thanks him for trusting her enough to share his sister's story with her.

He shows her out of his office and walks her back to her car, which is in the visitor's parking lot in the garage, and stands with his hands in his pockets as she unlocks her car. He hadn't gotten the chance to show her around like he fully intended to, but she'll use it as another excuse to come and visit him while he's at work. But she thanks him for the fun lunch and wishes him a good rest of his work day before telling him to give her a call whenever he's off of work.

He agrees and then watches her drive off with the thought that five o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

 **A/N: So... I have a few ideas of what I want to happen... but I always love feedback from you guys! Give me some ideas of what you'd like to see happen between Mulder, Scully, and Diana! :) Sorry for any grammar mistakes! (I'm going back and forth between studying and writing!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! And thanks for the good vibes! I made a 'B' on my Nursing exam! :) Sorry for any grammar mistakes. I may or may not have had a few glasses of wine while I wrote this! :)  
**

* * *

It's Monday afternoon, around four o'clock when she gets the call back like the man had promised and she's ecstatic to hear that the FBI would love to have her join their team in the Forensics department as an instructor. They've tasked her with finishing up however much schooling she has left, which she discloses is only two months, and that they'll get her enrolled in the training academy that will turn her into an official FBI agent.

Her first thought is to call Mulder with the good news, to inquire about whether he really did put in a good word for her or not, and how excited she'll be when he suggests they go out to dinner and drinks to celebrate her moving up in the world.

But as she hangs up the phone with the Human Resources employee, the framed picture of her family catches her eye and she bites her bottom lip. Her family had been nothing but supportive and patient with her path in the medical field, but to hear that she was giving it all up to start a career in the FBI wouldn't be easy to swallow.

She picks the phone back up and calls her family anyway, though. Her heart feels like it's high in her throat when her mother picks up.

"Hey, mom. I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"No, honey. Just finishing up dinner." She pauses and Scully can hear the familiar clang of pots and pans. "Everything's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah… I just wanted to catch up, I guess."

"Well your father was just asking about you the other day. I'm going to have to let him know you called." The thought of her father is enough to make her change her mind about telling them of her new opportunity. She convinces herself that it's not even official yet and that it'd be better to tell them in person. So she decides to tell her mother about how school is going instead.

She falls back onto her couch and talks with her mother for another good thirty minutes until they reluctantly hang up with one another, both making promises to see each other soon. It's not long before Mulder's voice is coming through the headset of her phone now and she smiles when he answers her call.

"Sorry we couldn't do much this weekend. There was a lead I needed to follow up on," he apologizes genuinely and she assures him it's okay, that she knows he's busy and doesn't expect him to spend all of his free time with her.

"It's fine, Mulder. I promise." She listens carefully through the other line and can hear him packing up for the day. "How was your day?"

"It was ugh… fine. Busy. How was yours?"

"Well… I found out that I passed my Psych exam." He can hear the smile in her voice and finds himself smiling as well as he sandwiches his phone between his cheek and shoulder while gathering up all of the leads he managed to find that could possibly concern his sister. "And that I'm now employed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"What?! Scully… that's… congratulations!" He's at a loss for words and it warms her heart that he's this happy for her. "We need to celebrate! Tomorrow is Tuesday. You don't have class. You can't say 'no'."

A few hours later, he's picking her up from her apartment. When he she opens the door to greet him, his wide, anxious smile is enough to melt her heart. He reaches out for her, pulling her from the doorway and into his arms in a congratulatory hug. She doesn't protest or fight his touch, but welcomes it by wrapping her arms tightly around his body and burying her head into a chest, just for a second.

"I guess I should start calling you Agent Scully now, right?"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I still need to make it through the academy." He waves it off like it's no big deal.

"I can help you with that. And you're already a runner, so that helps."

—

He takes her back to his apartment for dinner. He's never been impressed with the fancy high-baller dinners couples his age were finally getting to experience. It was all a show… a 'pissing contest', as his father would constantly remind him. He knows its a long shot, but he's visited her apartment almost three times and she still had no idea where he lived.

She's surprised when they pull up to a homely apartment complex, one much like hers, and when he finally exposes that personal side of him, she's taken back. His kitchen and living room are clean for the most part, but the further part of the living room is filled with papers and pictures, newspaper clippings and maps that may have something to do with his sister.

The search for Samantha has become a part of him, and she thinks to herself that she at least half expected him to be this way. The realness of it all had just finally hit her. He notices how her eyes are fixed on the darker part of his living room that host his obsession as he takes of his coat and hangs it up on his colored pool ball coat rack.

"Long day," he asks, focusing her attention back on him.

"You could say that," she says as she lets him take her coat off as well. He shows her into his kitchen and insists she has a seat while he does everything. There's a bottle wrapped up in a brown paper bag and when he reveals it to her, it's a bottle of red wine. She nods her approval and he gets her a glass. His next surprise is a scratch piece of paper that has some kind of family recipe for 'Mulder Spaghetti' in his handwriting. He sets the recipe down near the sink and heads to the fridge to grab himself a beer. She notices he has all of the ingredients lined up on the kitchen counter and is ready to start cooking. So he does.

"Tell me more about your job offer," he asks as he moves around in front of the stove, beginning to cook the ground beef. She's playing with the stem of her wine glass as she sits at his kitchen table, watching him adoringly, when she shrugs her shoulders.

"I mean… they told me to go ahead and graduate, then I'd start training immediately. I didn't think I was going to get the job, so imagine my surprise when they call me and tell me I'm hired." She takes another sip of her wine. "Enough about me," she insists. "Tell me more about….Diana."

It takes him by surprise. He had forgotten to explain her presence when he had walked in on Scully admiring his office and in particular, the picture of Samantha. Diana was of no importance to him anymore. She had already lost his trust and respect, so it was a thing of the past.

He sets his beer down next to the scratch paper and leans against the counter as the meat for the spaghetti slowly starts to brown in the skillet.

"I… we went to Oxford together. Our fathers were actually good friends." It's almost like he doesn't know exactly where the start their story. She can sense it's a complicated issue, so she doesn't push it any further. "We dated… for a short period of time. The X-Files was kind of our… child, I suppose."

"What happened?"

"I wake up and head to the office one day only to find everything's been ransacked and torn apart. She took her leads, her files, everything and just… disappeared."

The only sound in his kitchen now is the crackling of the cooked beef in the skillet. She reaches for her glass of wine once more and gulps down another generous sip.

"In any case… her being back won't distract me in the least. And I don't want you to feel… threatened."

"I assure you… I don't."

—

They eat dinner and to her surprise, it's delicious. She wouldn't have pegged him as a guy who cooked. Or maybe he had just gotten lucky. Either way, she wasn't complaining. She insists on cleaning up since he cooked, and even after putting up a fight, he still loses. With her third glass of wine, she's slow to get up and collect the dishes. She starts the hot water in the sink and soaks the plates before cleaning all of them off. Within minutes, she has his kitchen spotless and he thanks her sweetly.

They retire to the living room, with her full glass of wine and his third beer. He sits first on his couch, across from his old television. He lingers in the kitchen, turns off the light, and joins her on the couch after passing in front of the television to turn it on and adjust it to some movie channel.

She yawns a bit when he sits next to her, and he takes the opportunity to swing his body around, laying his head in her lap swiftly. She doesn't move, doesn't make a sound, but instead… lets her hand fall into his hair and mindlessly passes her fingers through it.

"Thank you for dinner," she finally whispers when he's settled comfortably against her thighs.

"No, it was my pleasure. You deserved a nice, home cooked meal." The words hit her a bit harder than usual, and she thinks of her family instantly, how she still hasn't told them about her position at the FBI. But she shakes it off before he can tell the words have affected her and continues to stroke his hair.

"So sweet of you." She leans down to press a quick kiss to his forehead. They spend the rest of the night in a comfortable silence. He drifts in and out of sleep while she continues to play with his hair. When he wakes up for good, he realizes he hasn't slept this well in years and he knows she's the key. He also realizes that with Diana back, he has to be careful. Fowley was known for switching on her charm when there was something she really wanted… and it was ultimately how she had managed to snag him. But he looks up at the woman hovering above him and knows it'll take a lot more than charm to get him to leave her side. "Mulder, if you're tired… I can just call a cab," she offers. He closes his eyes. He forgot that he picked her up and drove her here.

Enough time had passed after his three beers where he felt confidently about his driving abilities to take her home, but he didn't want to risk anything… and he refused to let her take a cab home.

"You don't have class tomorrow, right?" She nods her head. "I'll tell you what. Stay here tonight. I'll bring you home in the morning before I go to work," he suggests. He's sure she'll turn it down and insist on calling a cab, but to his surprise, she shrugs her shoulders and agrees.

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 **A/N: Don't worry! I plan to write how the rest of their night goes! Review and let me know if it's a good idea or if I should just skip ahead to the morning when he brings her back! :) Sorry for any grammar mistakes! :D REVIEW AND LOVEEEE MEEEE! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING TOTALLY AWESOME AND LOVING MY STORY AND ME :) I made this chapter extra long just for you guys! Sorry for any grammar mistakes! :)  
**

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She had always been careful to avoid situations like these. Staying the night in an unfamiliar place was something she had been taught to stay clear of. But she couldn't see any reason to not stay here with Mulder tonight, and when she glances over at his desk that's pushed up against his window, she notices his gun and FBI badge are within reach. It's a comfort knowing that he could protect her without a doubt. She didn't have the strange, awkward feeling around him like she did with most of the guys she had met in her lifetime.

By the time the movie they're watching is over, he slowly pulls himself up from her lap and moves to turn off the television. He stretches in front of her and she straightens up on the couch, anxiety suddenly coursing through her body. Was she going to sleep in here? Would she take his bed? Where was he going to sleep? She had no toothbrush, no extra clothes, no-

"I've got some clothes you can sleep in. And an extra toothbrush that I haven't opened yet… if you wanna use it." He lends his hand to pull her up from the couch, then excuses himself to lock up his apartment and make sure everything in the kitchen is turned off. He joins her back in the living room and leads the way to his bedroom. He opens the door, flicks on the light, and stands aside to let her in.

It's a large room. His bed is opposite from where she stands, in between two night tables. She realizes that his spot is the right side of the bed when she looks at where the alarm clock sits on the night stand. There's a dresser directly to her left and he points to it, then moves to open a few drawers.

He pulls out a pair of clean sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt. After explaining where the toothbrush and toothpaste are, he leaves her in his room alone to change and get ready for bed. He had fully intended to see her to bed and make sure she was comfortable before heading back out to sleep on his couch.

But he leaves the room anyway to give her as much privacy as she needs. He sits on the couch and lets his head fall back against the cushions. He feels guilty for letting the time get away from him, but she doesn't seem too upset. He can hear his bathroom sink running and he smiles when he can hear her brush her teeth in his silent apartment.

The water shuts off a few minutes later and he's almost certain she must be in his bed by now, so he gets up from where he sits and turns to face the door, only to nearly run into her.

She's leaning against his door frame wearing only his baggy, over-sized shirt. No sweatpants.

It's impossible not to give her body a once over. She looks too incredibly cute in one of his numerous New York Knicks t-shirts. It's an appealing sight; her in a basketball shirt. The shirt stops just above her knees, so it covers up what she needs it to, and he realizes now that maybe the sweatpants would have been a bit too long and heavy for her.

"Everything okay," he asks, nodding towards his bedroom. Truthfully, if there had been anything she needed, he'd run out to the corner store down the block and buy whatever it was she wanted. But she simply crosses her arms over her chest and tilts her head.

"You're not coming to bed?" The words strike a string in his heart. He had never met someone so skeptical but trusting at the same time. She had a way of sneaking into his thoughts during the day and into his heart whenever he saw her in person. He had never felt this way with Diana… or Phoebe, another woman he hoped to never run into again. It had taken him nearly eight months before he would even sleep in the same bed as Diana.

"I…" He's at a loss for words. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression, nor did he want her to feel pressured to share his bed. He was more than happy to sleep on the couch… it was where he slept most of the time, anyway. The bed had been provided by his mother in an attempt to see to his health, to make sure he was taking care of himself, but he had only used it a number of times. The queen sized bed was too much for just him. "I thought-"

She cuts him off by grabbing his hand, flicking off the light switch to the living room, and pulling him back into his bedroom.

"You thought that you'd be a gentleman, sleep on the couch, and leave me all by myself in your bedroom?"

"Well when you put it that way…" Her knowing smile is all the confirmation he needs before he shuts the door to his bedroom. She's already across the room and perched up in the bed. "I'm gonna…" He points to the bathroom and excuses himself to take a quick shower and brush his teeth. By the time he emerges, she's already underneath the covers and snuggled into mattress… with one of his Playboy magazines. He stops dead in his tracks and she peaks over the edge of the magazine to catch his horrified expression. He's gripping the towel he has in his hands, not sure if he should use it to cover his reddened face or towel snap the dirty piece of literature out from her hands.

"Whatever you found in that nightstand isn't mine."

She hadn't been surprised much with her little discovery. He was only human, after all. But catching him red-handed had been just as rewarding as her imagination had led. She closes the magazine and looks at the cover once more.

"I'm sorry. I… I didn't think- oh man. This is awkward now. I can explain." He opens his mouth to give her the full story behind the porno mag, but she rolls her eyes and tosses it back into the nightstand from which she found it.

"Mulder, shut up." With hesitation, he throws the towel back into the bathroom and doesn't look back.

It's the first time her eyes get to scan his near naked body and she can feel herself warm up underneath the sheets. Her heart stammers in her chest when he gets closer to the bed, wearing boxer shorts and long pajama pants that sag low on his hips. He either trained extremely hard for the FBI training academy or he just plays _a lot_ of basketball.

"What time do you have to wake up in the morning," she asks as he pulls back his portion of the sheets, sits on the mattress, and messes with his alarm clock. When he's done, he presents it to her over his shoulder and it reads '7:00 AM'. The only light on in the room now is the one near his side of the bed, but he doesn't turn it off just yet. Instead, he lays back against the headboard and looks down at her. She's snuggled into her pillow, looking up at him with heavy eyes.

"You didn't have to do this, you know."

"I trust you, Mulder," is all she says. She doesn't need some lengthy explanation about how what they're doing is wrong… how they've only known each other for maybe three weeks, because she can't convince herself that any of it really matters.

He reaches out with his hand to gently tuck a piece of her hair behind her ears and she smiles at his touch.

"Come here," he whispers, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to his body. Her shirt gets caught up in the bedsheets and inches higher up her body, but she doesn't notice. She drags her pillow closer, but her head ends up on his chest. Her ear is right above his heart and the constant thud against his chest is almost enough to put her to sleep. It's a strong, healthy heartbeat. She's only listened to heartbeats like this on tapes and recordings in her clinical sites, never before in a live person.

When she molds her body to his, he can feel every curve and dip of her body. His hand instinctively finds it's way to her hip, which helps to hold her body in place. Her breasts are pressed against the side of his chest, just below where her head lays. He's not sure if it's his own heartbeat that he feels, or hers which is matching his rhythm, rate, and intensity.

He's trailing his fingers up and down her side when he feels nothing but her bare skin. He stops immediately, but she squirms under his touch to encourage him to keep going. Her eyes are closed against his chest and she's completely still against his body, making no effort to pull the material of the shirt back over her bare skin.

With his free hand, he reaches over and switches off the bedside lamp. The room goes dark, except for the window to their right. The tree branches outside cast a shadow against the blinds and he watches them mindlessly as he continues to rub her side gently. She stirs against him, only a little, but its enough to cause for concern.

"You okay," he asks. She nods her head against him and throws her arm over his stomach. His left hand comes to rest on her elbow, holding her arm against his stomach. He loves the way she feels against him and wonders how he had gone so long without her. "Going to sleep," he asks softly. She nods again, but this time tilts her head back. Her hair tickles his shoulder as it slips past his skin and he simply stares at her for a few seconds.

He realizes he's always been the one to initiate their kisses for the most part, but if it's comfortable for her, then he'll continue to do so. And he does. He lowers his head ever so slightly and stops short of pressing his lips to hers. He hovers and it drives her into frustration. So she snakes her hand around his neck and pulls him down further, their lips finally crashing in a satisfying goodnight kiss. He can feel his body responding to her assault on his lips, but he won't hold her accountable for anything more than a kiss if that's all she wants.

She runs her tongue against his and he can still taste hints of the toothpaste she used not thirty minutes ago. He loves the way she tastes and how she makes soft noises in the back of her throat when he grips her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. It's only their third or fourth kiss, but he wants it to last as long as possible. She rolls over onto her back, taking him with her. She draws her legs up to accommodate him between her knees and he can feel the material of her lace underwear against his lower abdomen.

The over-sized shirt had been a blessing in disguise, he thinks.

His hands press against the mattress to support his weight, but he's finding it hard to keep them there as her body screams for him to touch her. She's arching her back up from the bed as his lips leave hers, kiss down her jaw, and begin their journey down her neck. When her chest presses into his, he sucks in a deep breath and his hands come up from the mattress to pin her hips back down. She bounces against the bed with the force of his push, but she doesn't voice any discomfort. He's not sure he'll be able to control himself any longer if she keeps that up.

Her own hands are finally exploring his bare chest. She can feel his muscles ripple and twitch under her fingers as she teases him. She smiles into their kiss when she understands how much of an influence she has over him. It's empowering to think she's the one causing his fingers to dig harder into her hips with every moan that escapes her lips. She can feel him trying to back away, but she wraps both arms around his neck and keeps him anchored to her body. Her fingers thread through his hair much like from earlier in the night and she can feel his grip loosen on her hips. His arms are now snaking around her entire waist and before she knows it, he flips them over.

He's propped up against the headboard and she finds herself straddling his lap. His hands sneak under the baggy shirt and find the small of her back. She breaks off their kiss when he begins massaging her tight muscles there and it's all she can do besides collapse on top of him. The wine has clouded her judgement, for the better, but she still has that nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to wait… that even though he's the sweetest, most considerate guy she's ever met, everyone has the potential to hurt in some way or another.

"I… I'm sorry." His lips are swollen and she can see how they glisten from the kiss they just shared from the moonlight that pours into his bedroom. "I don't think… Can we-"

"It's okay," he assures her, laughing at her nervousness and reaching up with a hand to cup her cheek. She's frozen in her spot, willing her heart to calm and her breathing to even. "Come on," he encourages, gently lifting her off of his lap and slipping down into the bed at her level. She snuggles back into their original position and after they say their good nights, they both fall asleep in each others arms.

—

The morning comes too fast. He's awake at the sound of his alarm going off in his ear. His eyes slowly open, but close instantly at how bright the bedroom is from the sunlight. He reaches over and shuts off the alarm, then lets his arm fall back above his head on the pillow. It takes a few blinks before he's fully awake.

His head turns and there's a mess of red hair sprawled out on the pillow next to him. She's got her back to him and she's bundled up with the covers. He scoots closer to her as slowly as he can without waking her, but it's no use. She rolls over onto her back and comes face to face with him.

"Good morning," he greets her.

"Morning," she yawns, stretching her arms above her head.

"Slept okay? I didn't keep you awake, did I?"

"I slept fine, Mulder." It was a bit of an understatement. It had actually been one of her most restful nights of sleep since leaving her home for college. But she wouldn't admit that to him just yet. "I really appreciate everything. You and I both know a cab wouldn't have been any trouble at all."

"I guess… I just wanted you to stay."

There's no more time for small talk, because he's up and getting ready for work. She leaves him to change into his suit and tie in the bedroom while she brushes her teeth and gets dressed in the same clothes she wore the day before. She takes a look in the mirror as she fixes stray pieces of hair from her slumber. The thrill of spending the night with him was still within her.

When she comes out from the bathroom, he moves past her and places a hand high on her waist to switch places with her in front of the sink. His touch sends shivers down her spine and reminds her of the events from last night. She blushes as she watches him comb his hair back and brush his teeth.

"I'm not going to make you late, am I?"

"If you did, no one would notice," he answers honestly. "No. You won't make me late."

They take a few more minutes to each get ready and they're finally heading off to her apartment. She admires him from the front seat, how professional and handsome he looks in his FBI attire. She can only hope that when she graduates and starts her new job that she'll get to see more of this side of him.

As promised, he pulls into her apartment complex and parks next to her car.

"I… can't thank you enough for last night… and this," she says gratefully. "I know you have to go… I'll give you a call sometime in the week, okay?" She reaches for the door to get out of the car.

"I'll hold you to that." He watches her get out of the car, jog across the parking lot, up her stairs, and as she stops in front of her apartment door. She turns to face him and waves goodbye, offering up another one of those smiles that lets him know he'll have a good day be damned.

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 **A/N: Sorry for any grammar mistakes! REVIEW AND LOVE MEEEE :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Well I THOUGHT I was only going to write a few more chapters, but seeing how you guys like it so much, I'll keep it going as long as I can. For FrenchGladiator, I did write that for you! :) If anyone else reading this is from Paris, please know that my thoughts are with you and your families. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. Stay strong, Paris!**

 **I'd also like to thank EVERYONE for taking the time to read and review! I read each and every review and it always puts a smile on my face when I can make someone else happy! Sorry for any grammar mistakes!**

* * *

She calls him during the week like she promised. She's been too busy with the semester coming to an end, graduation right around the corner, and the Bureau asking her for numerous amounts of drug screenings, background checks, physicals, and paperwork for her to even contemplate taking a night off to see him. But he's understanding, letting her know he went through the same process, and that it'll get better once she graduates. It raises the question on if he'll be able to make it to the graduation ceremony. He realizes it's been a while since he's been invited to any type of social event, but agrees to be there.

"Mark it down in your calendar. December 15th. Ten o'clock." He doesn't have to write it down because he knows she'll be reminding him every chance she gets that her graduation is getting closer and closer.

"I've got it," he assures her.

"Alright, then. How was your day?" She's seated on the floor of her living room with her phone wedged between her shoulder and her ear, sifting through stacks of notes and diagrams, trying to finalize her study guides for the finals that are coming up soon. Every now and again, she's pushing her glasses back to rest higher up on her nose so she can read the fine print on the papers.

"Interesting, to say the least."

"Why's that?"

"Skinner informed me that I'm to work with Diana on the X-Files again."

"You can't be serious," is her flat toned response.

"Did I mention we have to share my office?"

"Mulder… I mean, does he have any idea what happened last time?"

"Even Skinner takes orders from someone, Scully." She grows quiet over the line. He knows she's thinking about him working in close proximity with Diana again. He understands her apprehension. "Hey, it'll be fine. I learned my lesson last time."

They talk for what seems like a few minutes longer, but when she looks up at the clock hanging on her wall, it's been an hour or so. She reluctantly ends their phone call, telling herself she'll see him soon enough. When she hangs up the phone, there's a smile that won't seem to leave her face.

It's Friday night when she gets his call to let her know he'll be out of state to follow up on a lead concerning his sister. She's certain that if she hadn't had three exams to study for, she would have gone with him. She's torn between abandoning her notes and books and trading it for a long road trip in the passenger seat of Muddler's car.

She makes him promise that he'll be careful and he replies with,

"Always."

"Call me when you get back."

"You got it."

Later that night, as she lays in bed, her thoughts go straight to Mulder. Where was he? What was he looking for? Was he thinking of her in this exact moment as well? She turns over in bed and faces her alarm clock. It reads 2:33 A.M. Her eyes fall from her clock to the bedside phone, wishing it would ring and Mulder would be on the other end, telling her he was coming back home… that there was nothing for him wherever he had traveled to.

But it never rang and she fell asleep not ten minutes later.

—

She wakes up to knocking on her apartment door. Her eyes flutter open and a sudden anxiousness fills body. She props herself up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes and reading her clock that reads 9:02 A.M. Throwing the covers away from her, she rolls out of bed. She leans down and picks up the clothes she had stripped away during the night in an attempt to cool herself off.

She hops into her shorts and pulls the shirt over her head as she makes it into the hallway. The knocking has stopped. She hopes it's Mulder, coming to take her away from all of her responsibilities to do something more fun than study.

But when she peeks through the glass eye piece, she see's a classmate whom she forgot she had made a promise to study with over the weekend. She lets her head fall in disappointment, scolding herself for getting so hopeful, and opens the door to greet Emma. The pretty brunette is juggling her books, backpack, and a cup of coffee.

"I knew I should have called first," the medical student says as she walks past Scully into the apartment.

"No, no." Scully runs a hand through her hair and locks up the door. "It's my fault. I overslept. I'm sorry."

Emma heads straight to the kitchen table and lays out all of her study material while Scully excuses herself to take a quick shower and get ready for the day. When she emerges from her bathroom minutes later, Emma is sipping coffee with one hand and transferring notes from the book to her own handwritten copy with the other.

"What'd you do last night," her friend asks. Scully gathers up her notes from the living room floor, where she had left them the night before, and joins Emma at the table.

"Nothing… I just couldn't sleep." It sounds better than admitting the lost sleep came from a man she'd only known for a month now.

The day goes by relatively fast as they bounce ideas and etiologies of certain diseases off of one another. They stop to take a quick lunch break, but they're right back at it after. It's not until Scully's hand starts to cramp, her back muscles become tense, and her eyes are burning that she decides to take another break of her own. She gets up from the table and heads to her coffee maker, prepping it for yet another round of coffee, when her phone begins ringing.

"Excuse me," she says to Emma before stepping into her living room and picking up her phone. "Hello?"

"It's me."

"Mulder," his name comes out from her lips before she can even think about what she wants to say. "Is everything alright?"

"Peachy."

"Found what you were looking for?"

"Not exactly." He sounds a bit disappointed and it upsets her that he's spent so much of his free time to gain nothing helpful at all. She wonders exactly how many of these trips he's taken, only to come up empty handed. "But the good news is that I'm only a few hours away." She glances up at the clock and it reads 6:14 P.M.

"Good. You can tell me all about your trip when you get here, then."

They stay on the phone for a few minutes later until she lets him go so he can get back to his travels. When she gets back into the kitchen, Emma's got her pen between her teeth, watching her friend with narrowed eyes.

An hour or so later, Emma packs up her things, hugs Scully, and thanks her for allowing the study group for today. It's no problem at all for Scully and she lets her friend know that it's helped her just as much to have someone else to question the material with. She's quick to leave and Scully makes a move to start cleaning up the place.

—

It's nearly midnight by the time he's knocking on her door. She's changed into a pair of spandex leggings that stop just below her knee and a long sleeved shirt that's just a little too big for her. Her hair had been pulled up into a high, messy pony tail in an attempt to get it away from her neck. So when she answers the door and he takes one look at her, his heart soars. Whatever exhaustion he was feeling before he got here suddenly dissipated.

"My neighbors are gonna start talking," she teases as she lets him in. He's carrying a small overnight bag that he had packed for his trip. She doesn't have the heart to send him back on his way to his own apartment. She knows he's probably dead tired from all the driving, so she silently takes the duffle bag from his hold and places it in her bedroom.

She's walking past him into the kitchen to fix him a hot cup of coffee when he reaches out with one arm, wrapping it around her waist and pulling her in for a long hug. She can smell the cologne on his cotton shirt. She stands in his arms for a few minutes until she's slowly pulling away from him, grabbing his hand and pulling him further into the kitchen.

She stops at the counter and reaches into her cabinet to grab two fresh coffee mugs. He's close behind her, creeping up slowly until his chest is inches away from her back. His steady hands come out to anchor her in her spot. She pours the coffee and turns against him, bringing his own cup in between their bodies. He gives her a thankful smile, accepts his cup, and takes a few steps back.

She leans back against the counter he's just had her pinned to and brings her own cup up to her lips.

"Tell me what happened."

"I got a tip off from a source that there may be information about my sister somewhere in Philadelphia."

"What source?"

"Doesn't matter," he waves it off, which only sparks her curiosity even more. "It was nothing but a runaround… a diversion," he says bitterly.

"You didn't find anything." It's more of a statement than anything, as she can see the evident breakdown in his face. "Did you ever get back in touch with your source?" He shakes his head and holds up a piece of tattered paper that's got a barely visible phone number scratched down on it. He balls it up in the palm of his hand and tosses it in her trashcan which is on the other side of the kitchen. "Can't the FBI do something? I mean-"

"The government knows about it. And I gotta know what they're protecting. This is as close as I've ever gotten."

It's a whole new side of him, she thinks. Beaten down and exhausted. She wondered if he was like this the majority of the time before she came along. There's not much she can do except set her cup of coffee down and cross her arms over her chest, pressing her lips close together as she thinks of an alternative.

"So what do we do," she finally asks. His head slowly rises at her words, his lips slightly parted at her question. He can't let her get caught up in all of this… he won't let her throw her life away looking for his sister much like he had done.

"We do nothing." She tilts her head in confusion. "I'll go in Monday… and start over. There's got to be something that I overlooked."

"I want to help," she protests. "I can look into leads. I… I can come with you the next time you go looking for her," she offers.

"Scully-"

"Mulder, you've got to trust me." Their voices are the only sound in her tiny apartment and it seems to echo. She knows, especially after Diana and all the government antics, that trust is an abstract thought to him. She doesn't blame him. Who would she trust if she had been in his position? But he's adamant. He shakes his head, which lets her know it's no use.

"You've got too much on your plate right now."

"I can handle it."

"Graduate, first. Finish the Academy. Then come see me in the basement and we'll talk then."

It's a start, so she'll take it.

—

She practically pushes him into her bathroom with his overnight bag, encouraging him to take a shower and change into some clean clothes. While the shower runs, she pulls back the coves on the bed and then moves back into the living room to lock up the door. She washes out their coffee cups, cleans the pot, and turns off the lights.

By the time she gets back into her room, he's opened the door to her bathroom and stands in front of her fogged up mirror. He's brushing his teeth and she notices how his still damp hair sticks messily in every direction. There are beads of water still running down the contour of his muscles and she notices how low his pajama pants are sagging on his hips, much like the last time she had seen him half naked.

She moves quickly to her bedside table, but realizes theres no need to set her alarm. Tomorrow, 'Or today,' she tells herself, is Sunday. When the water shuts off and he's done brushing his teeth, he shoves everything back into his duffle bag and makes room to let her pass.

"Don't even think about going sleep on the couch," she calls out before taking time to brush her own teeth, wash her face, and change into something more comfortable. He's propped up against her headboard when she joins him in her bed, which is just big enough for the two of them. She pulls her own covers back and slides in next to him. He holds his arms out for her and she willingly lays against him.

"Tell me about _your_ day."

She yawns against his chest. He begins playing with her hair, running his fingers through her thick locks, and playing with the ends of her hair, twisting it around his fingers and repeating the entire process.

"Long. Studied all day." She knows in the morning, he'll probably wake up and gently get out of bed so he doesn't disturb her sleep, and leave unannounced. So she keeps him close to her as long as she can. "I'm glad you came back, though." She sleepiness is starting to cloud her brain and he grins when her words start to slur. "I think I sleep better when you're with me, believe it or not." Now he knows it's the exhaustion talking for her, but he likes it.

"Same here, Scully."

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 **A/N: I love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to happen next! I've got something tricky up my sleeve for the Diana/Scully conflict, so just know that it's on it's way! :) THANK YOU FOR READING AND I HOPE I DIDN'T EMBARRASS MYSELF WITH TOO MANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES.**

 **I want everyone to know I love them and that if there's anything at ALL I can do for you, whether that be a friendly ear to listen or what, message me please! Everyone stay safe!**


	9. Chapter 9

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Here's the next chapter! This story is TOTALLY AU and OOC, but who cares :P It's cute, so I'll keep it going! Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed! You guys keep me motivated! Sorry for any grammar mistakes! Listen to Devil You Know by Pinback! (It's the song that's playing in the bar!) :D)  
**

* * *

She's back at the bureau a week before her graduation ceremony. All of her finals have been passed, her registration to graduate has been taken care of, she's ordered her cap and gown, sent out the invitations, and the only thing left to do was turn in her transcript to the HR representative at the FBI.

The building was still quite new to her and it took a while for her to find the office. When she did though, the sweet lady behind the desk accepted her transcript, gave it a look over, and informed her that someone would soon be in touch as early as next week. She politely thanks the woman and heads out, down the hallway. There are intertwining offices and hallways, elevators, and staircases throughout the floor.

She turns her head in each direction, trying to find the elevator that will take her down to the basement so she can visit Mulder. He doesn't know she's here and she can only imagine the look on his face when she walks through his door.

But she takes a wrong turn somewhere. The hallway she's currently standing in is near abandoned. Her eyes dart from side to side, trying to find anyone to stop and ask for directions. In the silence, she can hear muffled voices coming from an office down the hallway. She begins walking slowly, hoping someone will come out from the office so she won't have to interrupt their conversation by knocking on the door to ask about Mulder's office.

But the closer she gets, the slower she walks. It's hard to make out the words at first. It's a man and woman, she knows that much. But it's when she hears 'Mulder' that she knows she _has_ to listen to this. The window that separates the office from the hallway has it's blinds closed, so Scully gets just a little closer.

" _What progress have you made?_ "

" _I've been reassigned to work with him on the X-Files. Our first case is underway."_

" _Any trouble?"_ There's a pause and Scully realizes she's been holding her breath this entire time. Her ear is nearly pressed against the door and one hand rests lightly against the wall next to her head. She'd be caught red handed if whoever stood on the other side of that door opened it. It's the same woman who had cornered them down in the basement. Diana.

" _He has a new… interest."_

" _Is it a problem?"_ Her heart is pounding against her chest by now. Were they talking about her? Why would she be a problem? What would they do to her? What were they _talking_ about?

The clicking sound of a cigarette lighter pushes through the heavy wooden door.

" _At the moment, no."_

" _And the sister?"_ Silence. There was a sickening rumble deep within her stomach. She could feel it creeping up into her throat. It wouldn't help Mulder one bit if she moved away now… so she stayed, despite the voice in the back of her mind telling her to get the hell away from that office. _"If you can convince him with whereabouts of his sister, his participation is almost guaranteed."_

" _I'm working on it."_

" _I trust you'll have more to report as the case progresses."_

" _Yes, sir."_

" _Good."_

Diana opens the office door and steps out into the empty hallway. Off in the distance, two elevator doors have just closed and are descending down to the main floor of the lobby.

Scully presses her back against the cool metal and closes her eyes. How was she supposed to tell Mulder that not only his ex-partner, but ex-girlfriend, was plotting to use his missing sister as some sort of incentive for whatever maniacal scheme she and the mysterious man had planned?

The doors open to the main floor and she pushes through the crowd of tourists and agents. Her 'Visitor' badge thuds against her chest with every determined step she takes. The elevator is empty when she gets into it, so she slams the button that'll take her to the basement.

She takes a few deep breaths and decides that she'll calmly, and respectively, bring up Diana. It won't help much now to throw accusations, but she can't stand by without saying anything.

When the elevator doors open this time, they reveal the dimmed basement ahead of her. It's only a few seconds before she's lightly knocking on his closed door.

"Sorry. Nobody down here except the FBI's most unwanted." She pushes open the door and Mulder looks over his shoulder from where he sits. She sighs in relief when she sees he's alone and closes the door behind her. He's gotten up from his chair and walked halfway across the room in record time, reaching out for her. He mindlessly places a kiss to her forehead and then he's leaning against his desk, arms crossed over his chest. "What a pleasant surprise."

"I was um… I had to turn my transcript in to HR, so I thought I'd stop by and see what you were up to." He notices the way her hands twitch by her sides in anticipation. There's a tension in her voice and her speech is almost pressured.

"Nothing highly classified or government conspiracy related, unfortunately." She shifts her weight between her two legs and she knows that he senses something is wrong. "Scully-"

"I have to talk to you about something… important." She finally meets his eyes and it hits him that this is serious. For a moment, he's afraid that she wants to break things off but he argues with himself that things between them were never really official in the first place. 'It can't be that,' he thinks.

She opens her mouth to let the words flow, but before she can explain what she had just witnessed minutes ago, the door to the office is opening and Diana is walking in with her eyes glued to a case file. She's too occupied to look up, so when she starts reading the demographics and facts about the case, Mulder coughs.

The brunette stops short of running into Scully and looks up, her green eyes coming to meet Scully's blue. There's no lost friendliness between the two women, Mulder notices, and his eyebrows knit together in confusion. What did these two have against each other already?

"I didn't know we had company," she says, without greeting Scully, and moving past the two of them to sit behind the desk. Mulder's head follows her path and when she lets the case file fall to the desk, he slowly turns back around to look at Scully. He gives her a strained expression and she tries her best not to encourage his frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to work. We can talk later," Scully dismisses the conversation. She goes to wave goodbye to him, but he pushes himself away from the desk in time to stop her from walking out. Diana watches through her eyelashes as he pulls the redhead into his arms for a sweet kiss, whispering something into her ear. She nods her head and before she walks off, looks at Diana one last time.

When she's gone and Mulder's back in the office, Diana lounges back in his chair.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Fox Mulder has himself a new girlfriend."

He shakes his head, fixes his tie, and shuts down the conversation. He's not going there with Diana. She didn't deserve the details of his personal life. Instead, he reaches over the desk and grabs the file she had walked in with. His eyes scan the paper and Diana watches carefully as his expression changes on the turn of a dime. His eyes go wide, his lips part…

"Where did you get this," he asks suddenly.

—

Later that evening, he's knocking at her door. Her stereo is playing some familiar rock song and she's dressed in very casual attire. It's a Friday night and she's wondering if he'll try to take her downtown to celebrate her finals being over. It's become a sweet habit for him to press a gentle kiss to her cheek every time they meet up. He seems to be in a good mood and it's a little disconcerting.

He's so happy that she doesn't have it in her heart to break his good mood. So instead of telling him about Diana, she drags him further down her hallway by his tie. She's walking backwards and his hands go down to her waist to make sure she keeps her balance.

"So… did you make any plans for us tonight," she asks, her back roughly coming into contact with the wall. He dips his head down to capture her lips in a heated kiss and all thoughts besides him and the fact that he's kissing her leave her head. Her lips part for him and all it takes it one sweep of his tongue and her knees are growing weak. He breaks their kiss off before there's no turning back and nods his head.

"Drinks downtown to celebrate the semester being over." He looks into her bedroom and notices her gown and cap hanging up on her closet doors. "And your graduation next week," he says as he pulls her away from the wall then pushes her further towards her room, giving her privacy to get dressed for downtown.

When she emerges, she's dressed more appropriately for the bars he'll take her to. And an hour or so later, they're both crawling into the back of a cab. He wants to be able to celebrate with her and share the good news about his sister, but he doesn't want to ruin her special night.

When they make it to the first bar, he gets out of the cab first and holds his hand out for her. She slips her hand into his and his fingers gently wrap around her tiny hand. He pulls her out from the backseat and the cold winter air chills her to the core. She stays close by his side as they push down the sidewalk, past other couples, into a local bar that houses people the same age. It's a full house tonight with finals being over. He reaches behind him and grabs her hand as he pushes his way to the bar.

She can feel curious eyes watching them, but she ignores the friendly stares and stands close behind him as he orders himself a beer. He turns his head to ask her what she's drinking tonight and she responds with a whiskey sour. He nods his head proudly and orders their drinks. There's not much room to move around the place, so he decides to stay at the bar. A man besides them has gotten up and left, so Mulder pulls the chair closer and helps Scully up into it.

She sips on her drink and the song playing overhead gets her tapping her foot against her chair. He's facing her with his back nearly pressed against the stranger standing behind him. He takes a long swig of his beer.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me today in my office," he asks. She was hoping he wouldn't bring it up. She reasons that if he ever mentions anything about his sister again, then she'll sit him down and explain to him what she had heard. If he trusted her enough to tell her about Samantha, then he'd trust her enough to believe in what she would tell him. Maybe this thing with Diana was meant to be a good thing... maybe she was trying to help him find Samantha.

"Nothing," she smiles. "I just… figured I'd stop and pay you a visit."

"Well I appreciated it."

Hours pass. She's one whiskey sour and five beers in when some of her friends from school run into her and Mulder. It's almost closing time, but they spend the rest of whatever's left of the night laughing and talking with her medical school classmates.

Once two o'clock hits, he sets his empty glass down on the nearest table and takes Scully's half full glass, downs whatever beer is left, and sets it down. They say goodbye to her friends and he's pulling her closer to his warm body when they step out into the cold sidewalk. There are numerous cabs available and when one stops to pick them up, he opens the door for her to get in.

Her address comes out in a slurred mess and he smiles.

He pays the fare and follows her up her stairs. She unlocks her apartment, allows him in, and locks up behind her. When she turns around, he steps closer and pins her to the door gently. One hand grabs the back of her head and the assault on her mouth commences. He can still taste the sour mix from her whiskey as his tongue sweeps across hers.

Her eyes close and roll into the back of her head as she tilts her head to the side to give him a better angle at her mouth. Her hands are everywhere; up his arms, over his shoulders, down his back, across his abdomen.

His hand leaves the back of her head. Her soft hair tickles his fingers as they sweep through the strands. He bends ever so slightly, his hands snaking down her sides and over her thighs, hooking his arms behind her legs and lifting her off from the floor. She's weightless and it scares her how effortless it is for him to pick her up. So much so, she softly cries into his mouth as her back roughly meets the door.

But he realizes how uncomfortable that is and spins her around. Her legs are wrapped around his waist and her feet dangle on either side of his back. There's no need to cling onto him because she trusts him unconditionally. Her hands are gripping his shoulders as he moves through her hallway.

He stumbles into her bedroom, but recovers in time to gently place her on her bed. The only light in her room comes from the moonlight shining through her window. She sits up on her bed long enough to rid herself of her most of her clothes. He does the same, and by the time he pulls his shirt over his head, she's propped back on her bed by her elbows. Her legs hang off the edge of her bed and she can easily make out the contour of his muscles even from what little light is available.

' _Are we really doing this,'_ he asks himself. There's a moment of hesitancy, but he dismisses it when she sits up and reaches out for him.

* * *

 **A/N: Awwww yeahhhh. Sorry for grammar mistakes, again! Review and let me know how it is!**


	10. Chapter 10

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Oh man! I can't believe you guys thought I'd let them do that! :P Thank you for ALL the reviews! I love honesty and kindness! :) Sorry for any grammar mistakes! I'm seriously tempted to make a soundtrack for this story. (There are way too many songs that influence the way I write!). I hope you all like it so far! Go ahead and listen to Breaking the Girl by Red Hot Chili Peppers! :D  
**

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His beeper goes off.

He doesn't make a move to pull away from her, but she gently pushes him off and encourages him to pick it up. She's no stranger to nights ending early like this. So she pulls herself to sit upright in the bed, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. She watches as he reads the number on his beeper, and then begin to pick up his clothes.

"Important," she asks, gratefully accepting her own clothes that he's picked up for her.

"It's Diana." She opens her mouth to plead him not to go meet her, that she's only using him for her own personal gain, but it's not her place and she's half afraid that he won't give her reason to worry a second thought… not when it comes to his sister, anyway. "She might have found something related to my sister's disappearance."

She pulls her shirt over her head and rolls off the bed as he shrugs his own pants back on, tightening the belt around his waist. She slips on a pair of clean sweatpants. With a glance at her alarm clock, it reads 3:37 AM.

"Are you going back to the office?"

"Yeah." She's standing against the doorframe of her bedroom with her arms crossed over her chest. The cold December air seems to be seeping through her poorly insulated walls and from the cracks in her windows. She shivers as he pulls his jacket on. The intoxicating buzz is leaving her body, but his had left for good when the office number flashed on his beeper. There's a nagging pounding in her head that's taking the place of the dizziness from the alcohol. "I don't think it can wait. She wouldn't have tried to reach me if it weren't important."

She nods in an understanding manner. There's no use in arguing with him to wait until morning, to get some rest before he goes into the office. She knows that if he gets caught up in whatever Diana's going to show him, there's no telling when he'll get to rest again.

He walks up to her slowly, his hands resting on her arms. He's got a saddened, guilty look on his face. This is the second time something like this has happened, but it's more of a resentment for allowing himself to take things this far with her in the first place. He was raised better than to take advantage of someone's vulnerable, drunken state. She feels his torment and covers one of his hands with hers to ensure it's okay.

"Go," she whispers. "Call me if you find something." He nods. "And be careful," she warns, the unwavering dread of him in danger lingering in her mind. He drags his hand up her arm and let's it tangle in the mess of her red hair. His lips press against the top of her head and his hand keeps her steady as he slowly pulls his lips away from her.

—

The cold air burns her throat and lungs as she runs against the icy sidewalk in the park. The four point breathing exercises Bill had taught her were starting to come in handy; she no longer got cramps when she ran. The basketball court comes into view when she rounds the corner, but it's empty. The entire park seems abandoned because of the cold, but it doesn't keep her from pushing against the sidewalk.

Her runs have progressively gotten longer and longer without her having to stop for a break, but by the time she hits the five mile mark, her lungs nearly collapse and a puff of air steams into the cold as she exhales rapidly.

It's been almost five days since Mulder had left her apartment in a hurry to get back to his office in hopes Diana would have more information on his sister. She had called him and left a message on his answering machine, just checking up on him to make sure he was okay.

And it's not until the next day, Friday morning, when she gets his phone call. She had been washing her dishes when the shrill of her phone echoed throughout the quiet apartment. She dried her hands and picked it up, answering like she always had.

"Scully," he begins. "It's me."

She had gotten past the silly notion that he was ignoring her, but came to accept more that his attention was devotionally to his sister… and she was okay with that. His fight to find the truth was what made him who he was, was why she was so attracted to him in the first place, and why she'd go through the embarrassment of being stood up at the diner all over again if it meant she'd meet him.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk. We made a break," she can hear the exhaustion in his voice and she aches to see him, to pull him away from the consuming work of finding the truth.

"What did you find," she questions, whole heartedly interested in what direction the reopened X-File will take him.

"Something promising, I hope," she knows that tone of voice. She's heard it numerous times from when she was a child, when her mother would inform her of the plans they'd make to go visit her father or the scheduled family picnics, were suddenly no more… but assuring that something better would happen next week. "We're leaving tonight for California."

"Wh- Mulder." She looks across the kitchen at her calendar. The date circled in red permanent marker was tomorrow. Her graduation. She couldn't help but wonder if Diana had put him up to this on purpose, to take him away before she could even have a chance to explain to him what she had overheard in that office.

It was disappointing that he wouldn't be there to watch her receive her medical degree, but it was suddenly the last thing on her mind. She _had_ to tell him.

"Mulder, wait," she starts, trying to form sentences in a logical manner, but her brain demands she yells 'Don't go! You can't go!'.

She stops, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. "Last week, I went to the bureau to turn in my transcript to the Human Resources rep. I got lost trying to find the elevator that would take me to your office." She can feel her own vocal cords grow shaky and it feels as if her tongue weighs a thousand pounds because the words don't seem to be coming out fast enough. "I overheard a conversation; a rather disturbing conversation."

"What did you hear," he asks curiously.

"I heard… I think…"

"Scully?"

"I heard Diana," she finally spits out. "I heard her and another person from outside an office. They were talking about me… and you! And your sister. I couldn't understand what they were saying, it was all muffled," she's rambling now, too fast for him to understand. The first thing that crosses his mind is maybe she's mistaken; maybe she overheard some other agent.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What do you mean they were talking about you?"

"The man! The man in the office. He asked if I was going to be a problem… like I'm some kind of inconvenience."

"And how do you know it was Diana," the question comes out a bit skeptical, but she misses his tone. "I mean… what did she say? Tell me what you remember."

"Okay." She lets out a frustrated breath, unhappy with herself for letting her emotions get away from her. "He… he asked what kind of progress she had made? With what, I don't know. But then she confirmed her reassignment to the X-Files and working with you again." The story sounded plausible enough, but still so innocent and with much room for some kind of misunderstanding, he was sure she had just overreacted. "Then your sister." He presses the phone closer to his ear. "He… he told Diana to convince you somehow with information on your sister." The line grows quiet. Then she asks the question that's on both of their minds. "Mulder… what if this 'break' is just some cover-up to get you out to California?"

"And do what, exactly?"

"Jesus, Mulder! I don't know! Who will watch your office? What if it gets ransacked and you lose all the evidence you've pieced together against them? What if it's a ploy to test your patience?" There's another alternative that she fights, but speaks of anyway. "What if you've stumbled on something… something so paramount, they'll go to great lengths to keep that information secret."

He considers her words for a few seconds, but there's a burning need to _know._ He's already made up his mind. He's _going_ to California. He'd never be able to live with himself if Samantha had been waiting there for him all this time.

"And they say I'm paranoid," he tries to lighten the mood, but it only seems to frustrate her more. "Is this why you came to my office?"

"Forget it," she mutters, moving to hang up the phone. He wasn't taking this seriously and she wasn't going to force him to listen to her. Sure, he had known Diana longer and given their past history, was more inclined to go along with what she said. It was human nature. Fear of the unknown. But he had said so himself that after Diana had left him high and dry, that he'd need a lot more convincing to believe anything that came out of her mouth the second time around.

' _When it comes to his sister, it probably doesn't take much,'_ she thought to herself.

"Scully," he calls out, stopping her from ending their phone call. "I understand your concern." He can almost imagine her rolling her eyes. "And I appreciate your honesty, but-"

"But you have to go and see for yourself, I know." He's certain she has just read his mind, but gives her the benefit of the doubt. For spending only so much time with him, she's picked up on a lot of his habits and flaws, one of them being his stubbornness.

—

The skies are dark, but there's not a cloud in the sky. He stares up at the stars and he's thrown back to the night he had taken Scully out into his secret spot, how she had completely trusted him that night. There's a shameful feeling that courses through his body as he watches Diana cross the lobby of the airport with the two tickets in her hand.

He knows that if there were some way he could confirm either woman's story, maybe he wouldn't feel so ashamed for not believing Scully.

Diana takes a seat close next to him and starts to depict how the following morning will go in accordance, but he's too occupied with thoughts of Scully to begin to apprehend what's coming out of Diana's mouth.

He closes his eyes and drowns out the white noise of the airport, along with Diana's voice, and he can picture an anxious Dana Scully emerging from her bedroom wearing a black graduation gown that's almost too big for her; how he'd tease her for her impulsive solution to wear heels.

He would have surprised her with flowers, maybe… or a teddy bear dressed in scrubs with a plastic stethoscope. She'd give him a sheepish smile and indifferently accept his gift… but a week later, he'll be astonished to see his flowers proudly displayed in a beautiful crystal vase on her kitchen table or the stuffed animal keeping watch over her bed, in between her pillows.

—

She tosses and turns in her cold bed, her forcefully closed eyes twitching at the urge to open. She had been at this for hours now. It would only be a few hours from now until her alarm would sound off and she would have to get up to begin preparing for the day ahead.

The thought of Mulder traveling with Diana all the way to California was enough to make her throw the covers away from her body and get up. She pads into the kitchen and turns on the coffee pot, coming to a decision to just stay awake for the remainder of the night.

With a full cup of coffee, she pads back into her bedroom and leans against the door, in the same spot she had last seen Mulder before he placed a kiss to the top of her head. She takes a sip of the hot liquid and runs her eyes over the black ceremony gown that she'll slip over her body in just a few short hours.

Looking at it doesn't bring the joy and happiness she had felt the day she had picked it up from the university bookstore, instead reminding her that Mulder was probably hundreds of miles away by now. It had hurt her feelings hearing him almost defend Diana, unconsciously taking her side, but Scully had to remind herself not to take it so personal.

So after finishing her cup of coffee, she hops into the shower in hopes the steaming water will wash away the troublesome anxiety that refuses to leave otherwise. She lets her head fall under the stream of water, her hair matting to the sides of her face as every single strand absorbs the water. She throws her head back, turns around, and lets the water smooth back her hair.

The process of getting ready doesn't prove too difficult or time consuming, so after she's dried her hair and picked one of Melissa's borrowed dresses to wear under the black gown, she sets off for the living room to read.

It's not until her phone begins ringing does she look up from her book to realize the sun has already risen and that it's nearly eight o'clock. She reaches for the phone, hopeful that Mulder is on the other end. But when she answers, there's a deeper voice greeting her with a 'good morning'.

"Daniel," she says into the phone. "Good morning."

"I uh… I wanted to give you a call and congratulate you. Today's the day, huh?"

"Yeah," she says softly. She hadn't thought much about her ex-lover since the day she had stormed out from his office, refusing to cry in front of him after he had broken the news that their affair would have to end due to the fact that he was a married man… with a daughter her age. "Thank you," she responds finally, trying to break the growing tension over the line. "You'll be there though, won't you," she's asking, confirming his presence since he's a professor at the university.

"I'll be in the front row watching," he teases and the inside joke lifts her spirits. It was nice to know some people were a little more dependable.

—

There's a knock on her front door and after giving herself a quick once over in her full body length mirror, she leaves the comfort of her bedroom to answer the door. When she pulls the door back, her family stands huddled together on the other side.

"Happy graduation day," Melissa is the first one through the door, wrapping her arms around her younger sister. Her mother and father exchange looks while Bill and Charlie walk through her apartment, standing back and waiting for their turn to greet their sister.

"Thanks, Missy." Bill is next to give her a hug, followed by Charlie, who hugs her a little longer than the rest. He's missed his older sister, but he won't admit it to anyone… except Dana.

It's finally Maggie's turn to greet and congratulate her daughter, pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling her into a gentle hug.

"Congratulations, dear," she whispers to her daughter before letting go and passing her over to her father. But instead of pulling her into a hug like everyone else has done, he stands tall and straight with his arms at his side. His hands are pointed directly at the ground with his fingers pressed together. He quickly raises his right hand until the tip of his forefinger touches the edge of his right eyebrow. It's the first time he's ever initiated a salute; she's always been the one to show the respect, but it was his baby girl's graduation day. She was going to become a medical doctor and save lives.

With the rest of her family watching, she proudly returns his salute and then walks into his outstretched arms.

"I'm proud of you, Starbuck," he says to his daughter, who squeezes him just a little tighter.

When the time comes, they split up to take two cars to her graduation ceremony. Their mother and father follow behind them as Bill drives Scully's car, with her in the front seat and Melissa in the back with Charlie.

"You should've seen mom this morning," Charlie called out from the back. Scully turns in her seat, getting comfortable so she can see Charlie and Melissa.

"I had to reapply her makeup at least twice," Melissa chimes in, causing Scully to laugh.

"You know how emotional she gets over these things," Bill added. "She can't help it."

It doesn't take long for Bill to find a decent parking spot near the coliseum. Their parents pull into the spot right next to them and together, the Scully family heads into the building.

When the time comes for them to split up, they surround her in a huge hug and it's enough to bring tears to her eyes. She hadn't seen or talked to them much during her years in medical school, only because she barely had time to take care of herself and her needs. But it was comforting to know they understood… and still loved her anyway.

* * *

 **A/N: Sooooo how was that? I feel like every chapter keeps getting longer and longer. I'll continue with what happens after her graduation in the next chapter! Again, sorry for any grammar mistakes and I apologize if this is SUPER OOC. Sometimes I can't help it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**One More Skeptic**

 **Rating: It's fine.  
**

 **Disclaimer: So... I don't own the characters or the idea! (Got this from Tumblr... again).**

 **Summary: Dana Scully had never been stood up on a date before... until tonight.**

 **A/N: Thanks to EVERYONE for reviews! Yall are too sweet! Here's another chapter! I kinda wrote the first half while I was drunk... sorry. LOL. If there's any grammar mistakes, we'll just blame it on me. Also! I don't know if any of you have heard of FictionPress, but I'm about to publish a story there! Something that I've created totally by myself! An original work. I'll make sure to post a link so you guys can read it! Listen to Drifting by On An On, it inspired this chapter!  
**

* * *

He's slow to get off of the plane. Diana is ahead of him and already down the ramp that'll lead into the airport. She's looking over her shoulder every now and then to make sure he's close behind. There's no denying the sense of dread that overcomes his body as he realizes what a special day he's missing. As he pushes through the overcrowded terminal, he overhears a little boy talking to his mother just a few feet away.

"We get to see Dana soon," he's asking loud enough for the entire airport to hear.

"She's waiting for us somewhere," the older woman consoles her son. He's caught in a double-take when the little boy screams his older sister's name and runs straight into a red head's arms.

"Scully?" He leaves his spot besides Diana and takes a few steps towards the reuniting family, but it's not _his_ Dana. So he stops short in his determined stride… then wonders what in the _hell_ is he doing here? With Diana? In California? He looks down at his watch and reads the time, closing his eyes in defeat when he does the math and comes to conclude that her ceremony is underway.

"Fox?" Diana's voice pulls him out of his daydream and he cringes when she speaks his first name. "Coming?"

He's slow to nod his head. He adjusts his tie and points to the restroom that's across the lobby. She nods her head and heads to the car rental desk. He watches her carefully and when she's too occupied with the paperwork to rent the car, he makes his way to another desk clerk… credit card in hand.

The young woman behind the desk turns around after filing a paper and Mulder nods, then points to the board that displays the numerous flights that were leaving in a few minutes.

"I need a one-way to Washington D.C., please."

She nods and begins typing at her computer, then warns him the flight will leave soon. He hands her his credit card without a second thought and before long, she's handing him a ticket back to Scully.

He grabs his overnight bag that he had carried on, the only luggage he ever needed, and maneuvered through the crowded airport all while avoiding Diana. It's almost impossible to ignore the pounding of his heart as he leaves behind an opportunity he may never have again. But as he hands his ticket over, a memory he had suppressed plays out in his mind like an old black and white movie.

" _Fox," Samantha says as she lays against the sandy beach of their parents vacation home. Her damp brunette hair had dried thanks to the hot sun and was starting to curl around her face. He looks over at her with big, green eyes._

" _Yeah?"_

" _Are you going to get married one day," she asks innocently enough. He's only twelve and he's never really thought of it before. He thinks of his parents and how much they fight, which causes a great deal of sadness._

" _Only if I find a girl I really love, I guess," he finally responds. "But you've gotta approve of her first."_

" _She's gotta be pretty and nice. And smart," his younger sister finally adds._

—

"Dana Katherine Scully, Medical Doctor," the University president says into the microphone, filling the arena with her name and title. Her classmates clap appropriately and as she walks across the impossibly long stage to receive her degree, she can spot her family that are seated in the distance, giving her a standing ovation. It's a long shot, but she almost expects to see Mulder standing himself, somewhere in the distance. But she doesn't.

So she pushes on, shakes her professor's hand, poses for a picture, and walks off the stage. It's not long before the ceremony comes to an end and her graduating class stands together. She pushes through the crowds of families that are pouring onto the arena floor to meet up with their loved ones, and finds her own family waiting for her off to the side.

She walks straight into her parents' arms first, then pulls back and presents her degree that's been framed for her by the university. Her father nods his approval and her mother can't seem to wipe the smile from her face, obviously proud of her little girl.

Melissa's eyes are wide with amazement as she pulls her sister into another hug, then gently reaching out to touch her degree. Bill is next to give his sister a hug and press a kiss to her temple. Charlie all but jumps into her arms and takes his turn to admire her medical degree.

It's a precious moment that she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

She takes numerous pictures with her family and friends from her class, then they're sweeping her away to bring her back to her childhood home where they'll throw her a graduation party.

The house is full of her relatives and distant friends by the time they arrive and she's thankful that all of them have made it.

Hours later, after the last of the guests have left, she says her goodbyes to her family. All except her mother retreat back into the house.

"I wanted to wait and give this to you for Christmas, but…" Maggie hands over a small box that's got a simple bow tied around it. Scully accepts it gratefully and opens it slowly, revealing a gold cross necklace.

"Mom," she says softly, admiring her new piece of jewelry. She knows it's an expensive piece because her parents _never_ buy anything like this. It breaks her heart knowing they must have saved up a lot of money to be able to buy this for her. "I can't," she whispers, closing the box and trying to hand it back to her mother. "It's beautiful, but I can't," she says softly.

"You can and you will," she encourages her daughter, refusing to take the box back. "Go on. Take it." Scully opens the box one more time, taking in the beauty of her necklace.

"Thank you, mom," she says as she pulls her mother into a gentle hug, resting her head against her mom's shoulder. It's a sweet moment that she'll never forget and when they break apart, she notices how her mother wipes at her eyes.

"I… I'll see you for Christmas, right?"

"Of course, mom," she reassures, grabbing her mother's hands and giving them a squeeze before pulling away and heading for her car to head back to her apartment.

—

The drive is long but with her degree and the box that holds her necklace riding shot gun, it isn't all that bad. When she gets out of her car with her graduation gown draped over one arm, one hand carrying the jewelry box and the other carrying her framed diploma, she spots someone near her apartment.

It's Mulder.

She climbs the stairs and finds him leaning against her door, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a teddy bear dressed in a pair of scrubs in the other. She stops when she sees him and her head tilts to the side. If she could have dropped everything and ran into his arms, she would have. She settles for him pushing himself away from her door and slowly walks up to her, like a puppy who had just got caught ripping up the furniture.

"I uh…" He starts, but doesn't know exactly what to say. "Happy graduation day," he finally says, holding up his two gifts for her to see. With him giving her that apologetic look, she doesn't have it in her to be mad at him. She knows he had a good reason to go to California and she would never hold something like that against him.

"Mulder…"

"I should have trusted you, Scully. There was nothing in California."

"But… did you even stay long enough to find anything," she asks with a concerned look, her presents and graduation long forgotten. "I mean, you're back early. Does Diana even know?"

"Call it a brother's intuition, but I just knew… that she wasn't there." She's looking at him like he still owes her an explanation. "I'm sure she figured it out after sitting alone in an airport for six hours." The thought of him taking her side over Diana's is enough to bring a small, sad smile to her face. She didn't know Diana and the image of her sitting alone in a California airport would be sad to anyone, but somehow… with Mulder here, she couldn't find it within her to feel sorry for Diana.

She shakes her head in slight amusement, then unlocks her apartment to let both of them in. She takes the lead carefully places her diploma down on her kitchen table, along with the jewelry box. She turns and accepts Mulder's gifts with a shy demeanor. Even as a kid, she had been grateful to receive one or two presents for Christmas and birthday. She had learned not to put such a high value on the material things early in life.

But the flowers he's picked out are beyond gorgeous. There's a mix of purple, pink, blue, and white daisies and tiger lilies. The bouquet is all held together by a simple white bow that ties the stems together.

"They're beautiful," she thanks him and wanders around her kitchen to find a vase to put them in. He smiles when she places it right where he thought she would. Her teddy bear is next and when she accepts it into her arms, she giggles when she sees the blue scrubs and the small plastic stethoscope that's attached to the bear's neck. "Mulder," she draws out his name adoringly and presses the stuffed animal to her heart. "I love him," she confesses in a soft voice. "Thank you." She reaches up and grabs his tie with her free hand, pulling him down for a sweet kiss.

Then, he's pulling her over to the kitchen table where she's laid everything out.

"Wow… look at that," he says softly, reaching out with a finger to trace over her full name. It's a moment he knows he'll never be able to get back, but he's grateful for being here now. "Medical Doctor," he reads aloud for the both of them to hear. "Dana Scully, Medical Doctor."

"Well if we're going by titles, it's Special Agent Dana Scully now," she reminds him.

His eyes spot the box that her mother had given her and he points to it.

"What's that?" She opens the box instead of telling him and he looks up at her in amazement. All the times she had shut his theories down, all the skeptical looks she had given him and she was a believer in some higher power that she could not scientifically prove existed.

"My mother gave it to me," she explains. Carefully, he picked up the delicate necklace and held it up in the light for them to examine. It was a simple, small cross and the chain wasn't too long. He nods his head to the side a bit, telling her to turn around. She reaches behind her head to sweep away the pieces of hair so he can see the clasp of the necklace. He brings his hands around her neck gently, his fingers brushing against the skin on the back of her neck and sending a shiver down her spine. He takes notice and instead of clasping the necklace, he lowers his fingers to give him enough space to press a tiny kiss to her neck. "Mulder," she warns in a weak voice.

—

She's curled up next to him with her near empty glass of wine in one hand. They had opted for staying in that night instead of going out on the town to celebrate. She knew the bar downtown would be packed with people from her graduating class. So she had broken out the bottle of red wine she had been saving for a special occasion and poured them both a generous glass. It hadn't taken long for the alcohol to kick in and she felt her cheeks grow warm from it's effect.

They're sharing embarrassing stories from high school and taking turns laughing at each other. After her story, he shares his, which had been a teenage version of himself orchestrating a proposal to prom during one of his basketball meets. His proposal was for one of the cheerleaders he had crush on since middle school. That hadn't been the embarrassing part. What had made him want to run out of the gym was when she had hid behind her pompoms only to end up shaking her head 'no', apologizing profusely when she informed him that she was going with someone already… her girlfriend.

She had giggled to herself upon imagining a tall, lanky teenage Mulder awkwardly walking up to a pretty cheerleader and nervously asking her to the senior prom.

"If it's any consolation… I would have went with you to prom," she assures him, finishing off whatever wine is left in her glass.

"Of course you would have," he says, leaning close to her. "We would have been that undeniably dorky couple who spiked the punch bowl and got arrested for trying to break into a science lab during the dance." She laughs a little harder at his confession, because she knows it's nearly close to being the truth. "What kind of progress have you been making with your training," he asks, changing the topic to something a little more current. She starts training at the Academy Monday morning and soon, she'll be an instructor.

She's crawling over him to place her empty wine glass on her small end table that's next to her couch, where he sits and instead of moving back into her own spot, she straddles his lap comfortably. She's playing with his tie as she talks.

"Well… I've learned I don't have much upper body strength," she confesses. "But I can run a pretty long time without catching a cramp." It's a small achievement, but she'll take it.

"That upper body strength is pretty important, if you ask me." Before she knows it, he's standing from the couch. He's got her in his arms, holding her up effortlessly as she wraps her legs around his waist. She nearly screams into his ear as he begins walking. It's a flashback from just a few nights ago when their intimate moment had been shattered by his beeper going off. The difference tonight was that he had turned every single electronic device off and neither one of them was drunk.

She can feel his hands working the back zipper of her dress down and when the cool air hits her heated skin, she sucks in a breath just as he presses his lips against hers.

He doesn't waste any time and heads straight for her bedroom, kicking the door behind him and dropping her gently on the bed.

* * *

 **A/N: So... I've never been super comfortable writing sex scenes. Even at 23 years old, I still can't do it... so imagine it for yourself! I think I might end the story in the next chapter because I honestly don't know what else to write about! If you guys have any ideas for the last chapter, something that I could possibly incorporate for the end of the story, review and let me know! Sorry for any grammar mistakes!**

 **Thanks again to everyone and hopefully I can come back with another story in the future that you all love like this one!**


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